
Class C tNAZ ^H 

Book -&7 

Gpiglrtfl 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSED 






Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



flDabe Easp Series 



TRICKS AND MAGIC 
MADE EASY 



BY 

EDWARD SUMMERS SQUIER, M.A. 




NEW YORK 
EDWARD J. CLODE 



c/^ 



COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY 
EI) W A R I) J. CLO DB 

All rights reserved 



■ 



PRINTED JN THK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



385 



>*, 



CONTENTS 



Cs 



Introduction 



PART I 



PAGE 

9 



icks Without Sleight 


-OF-i: 


Iane 


> 




13 


Discovery of a Card . 




16 


Gathering the Kings 








19 


Naming the Pack 








22 


The Magic Pairs 










27 


The Turned Card 










34 


The Magic Square 










36 


The Royal Court 










39 


The Assembly 










42 


Discovery of Four 










44 


Discovery of Two 










48 


The Permanent Carl 


) 








52 



PART II 

Sleight-of-Hand With Cards 
Shifting the Cut 
Forcing a Card . 
The False Shuffle . 
The Indicated Card . 



57 
60 
67 
7i 

75 



[5] 



Contents 



The Faced Card 77 

Palming a Card 80 

Changing a Card 84 

Springing the Cards 88 



PART III 

Tricks with Coins, Watches, Dom- 
inoes, etc 

Tricks with Coins 

The Pass .... 

The Change 

The Joining of the Coins 

The Handkerchief Wrapper 

The Vanishing Quarters 

The Increasing Dimes 

Money Multiplied 

The Dime in the Orange 

The Shower of Money 

Head or Tail 

Odd or Even . 

The Handkerchief . 

Tricks with Watches 

Tricks with Dominoes 

Tricks with Dice 

The Cut String . 



i'AGE 

93 

99 

106 

108 

1 12 

115 
117 
II 9 

121 
124 
126 
127 
129 

134 
138 
142 
144 



PART IV 



Stage Illusions 



149 



[6] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



Tricks and Magic 
Made Easy 

INTRODUCTION 

MAGIC has offered a never-failing 
source of entertainment to mankind 
throughout all the ages of history. Indeed, 
it has had no rival in its power to divert, 
to charm and to enthrall with its ever- 
varying array of wonders. Its sway has 
been universal both as to time and as to 
place. In the ancient days, magic played 
a chief part in religion. Everywhere, 
among primitive peoples, the priests were 
not only ministers of the gods, but also 
wizards, workers of miracles cunningly 
devised to awe the devout and to hold 

[9] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

them fast in the bondage of superstition. 

As men grew wiser, they came to under- 
stand that the marvels exploited by priest- 
craft were merely artfully contrived illu- 
sions, by which they had been deceived. 
Magic as a genuine science became dis- 
credited with the growth of learning, and 
at last disappeared almost completely 
throughout the civilized world. To-day, 
magic is taken seriously only by savage 
tribes in the remote parts of the earth, 
and by a few fanatics who seek to gain 
supernatural ability through study of the 
occult. 

Magic, in our own time, no longer plays 
the hypocrite. It is, on the contrary, an 
unabashed trickster. Its ways are all of 
guile, and it openly flaunts its deceitful- 
ness as a prime virtue. 

Magic has lost nothing of its fascination 
through this honesty in the confession of 
dishonesty. The magician presents him- 
self before those whom he would enter- 
tain with the avowed intention of befool- 

[10] 



Introduction 



ing them again and again, and yet once 
again. He boastfully matches his wits and 
skill against their powers of perception. 
He mystifies, confuses, startles, turns actu- 
alities topsy-turvy, surprises and amazes, 
but always he delights. He challenges the 
intelligence of all beholders, demonstrates 
their foolishness, and in so doing gratifies 
them exceedingly. He gives a pleasure 
that never grows stale to old and young 
alike, to men, women and children. 

Of course, the art of the prestidigitateur 
requires a lifetime of study and practice 
to attain its perfect expression. Neverthe- 
less, many of the seeming miracles are 
capable of very simple explanation. There 
are almost innumerable tricks that depend 
for their astonishing effect solely on the 
superior knowledge of the conjurer. Such 
feats require no training in sleight-of- 
hand. Still another large class of illu- 
sions is of such a sort that the operation 
makes only a small demand on the dex- 
terity of the performer. In preparing this 

[u] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

volume, care has been taken to select for 
the student of magic only such tricks as 
are easily accomplished, requiring either 
no legerdemain, or so little as to be easily 
mastered by following the simple and ex- 
plicit directions in the text. 

Thus, magic is in truth made easy. 
Yet it retains to the full all its powers to 
puzzle, to baffle and to delight. The 
student who familiarizes himself with the 
pages that follow will find himself 
equipped for a most agreeable popularity 
as an entertainer in any company. 



[12] 



TRICKS WITHOUT SLEIGHT- 
OF-HAND 



TRICKS WITHOUT SLEIGHT- 
OF-HAND 



THERE are many tricks that may be 
performed with an ordinary pack 
of playing cards, which require no sleight- 
of-hand. Because of the ease with which 
the learner may accomplish these, some 
of the best among them will be described 
at the outset. 



[15] 






DISCOVERY OF A CARD 



FOR this trick, a certain number of 
the cards are dealt from the pack, 
and laid face upward on the table in three 
separate piles. Before beginning the dis- 
tribution of the cards, one of the company 
is asked to select mentally a particular 
card. 

If twenty-one is the number of cards, 
there will necessarily be seven cards in 
each of the three heaps. 

When the twenty-one cards have been 
thus arranged in three piles on the table, 
you must ask the person who has chosen 
a card to tell in which heap it is. Then, 
you gather up the three piles of cards, 
but in doing so care must be taken to 

[16] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

place the pile containing the selected card 
between the other two piles. 

You next distribute again the twenty- 
one cards, face upward on the table, in 
three piles, exactly as before. You then 
request the chooser of the card to indicate 
the particular pile in which his card is 
now lying. On receiving this information, 
you again gather up the cards from the 
table, being careful as before to place the 
pile containing the card between the other 
two piles. 

You must now distribute the cards for 
the third time precisely as the other two 
times. But, while doing so, you should 
note the center card in each one of the 
three piles — that is to say, the fourth card 
in each pile. 

One of the three must be the selected 
card. 

For the last time, you ask the chooser 
of the card to point out the particular heap 
in which it is lying. Immediately upon 
his doing so, you will announce the card, 

[17] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

without even examining the pile. Or, 
if your memory of the three center cards 
in the piles is in the least uncertain, you 
may glance at the various cards in the 
heap before making the announcement. 
It is only necessary to remember that the 
center or fourth card in the pile must 
be the one selected after this third dis- 
tribution. 

Any other number of cards may be 
used instead of twenty-one, on condition 
that it be odd and a multiple of three. 
The selected card after three distributions 
into the three piles will be the central one 
of the packet. Thus, if fifteen cards are 
used, the heaps will contain five cards 
each, and the central card will be the 
third. If thirty-three cards are used, each 
pile will contain eleven cards, and the 
center card will be the sixth; and similarly 
for any other odd number. 



[18] 



GATHERING THE KINGS 



YOU prepare for this trick by plac- 
ing the four kings together, along 
with two jacks, which are set between 
the first and second kings. In perform- 
ing the trick, the presence of the two 
jacks must not be revealed. The four 
kings, however, are shown to the spec- 
tators. In order to hide the jacks while 
this is done, the four kings should be held 
fanwise in the hand, care being taken 
that the jacks behind the second king are 
exactly even with it so that they cannot 
be perceived. 

After the kings have been thus exhibited, 
they are folded together, along with the 
jacks, and all six are laid face downward 
on the top of the pack. The cards are 

[19] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

then in this order: king, two jacks, three 
kings. 

You now announce that you are about 
to distribute the kings as widely as possible 
throughout the deck. 

Draw off the top card, and, in doing so, 
allow the spectators, as if by accident, to 
perceive that this is actually a king. Place 
it on the bottom of the pack. 

Next, draw off the second card, but 
avoid giving the observers a sight of it, 
since this is one of the jacks, not a king. 
Place it about a third of the way down the 
deck. 

Now, draw off the third card, which is 
also a jack, and, without permitting it 
to be seen, place it two-thirds of the way 
down the deck. 

Again draw off the topmost card from 
the deck. This is the fourth card of those 
placed upon the deck at the outset, and 
it is therefore the first of the three kings 
that followed the two jacks in your original 
arrangement. You may carelessly display 

[20] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

this king to the spectators. Then replace 
it on the top of the pack. 

You now declare that you will bring 
the four kings together by simply cutting 
the cards. Since the first king has been 
placed on the bottom of the pack, and 
the two jacks that followed it have been 
removed and placed further down in the 
deck quite out of the way, the other kings, 
all three, are left together on top. Neces- 
sarily, when the cards are cut, the top and 
bottom cards are brought together. 

So, you cut the cards, and then ask 
someone to look through them, whereupon 
the four kings are found assembled in the 
middle of the pack. 

Any other two cards may, of course, be 
substituted for the jacks in this trick. They 
are suggested merely on account of their 
resemblance to kings, which might prevent 
detection of the deception if one of them 
chanced to be exposed during the perform- 
ance of the trick so that spectators had 
a glimpse of it. 

[21] 



NAMING THE PACK 



THIS is a feat of memory. As a 
matter of fact, however, the amount 
of memory involved is not so prodigious 
as it may seem to the company. 

You announce that you will name all the 
cards of the deck in their order. Before 
attempting the trick, two measures of 
preparation must be taken — the first 
mental, the second physical. The first is 
the learning of a doggerel couplet; the 
second is the arrangement of the pack of 
cards in a certain order. The couplet is 
an old one devised to enumerate the cards 
of a suit according to their value. It is 
as follows: 

" Eight kings threatened to save 
Ninety-five ladies for one sick knave." 
[22] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

As examination of the lines will show, 
the nonsense words are readily to be inter- 
preted as: eight, king, three, ten, two, seven, 
nine, five, queen, four, one, six, knave. 

Now it is necessary to have in addition 
an order of the suits. For example, let the 
sequence be: diamonds, spades, hearts, 
clubs. You must memorize this order, 
and hold it constantly in mind in connec- 
tion with the couplet, while privately ar- 
ranging the whole pack to conform to this 
system. 

In such preparation of the cards, first 
lay the eight of diamonds face upward on 
the table. You will remember that eight 
is the first card indicated in the couplet, 
and also that diamonds is the first suit in 
the order you have established. 

Now, on the eight of diamonds, lay 
down the king of spades. You will re- 
member that the king is indicated by the 
second word of the couplet, and that spades 
is the second suit according to your ar- 
rangement. 

[23] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

The next card must be the three of 
hearts. This is to be followed by the ten 
of clubs. 

On reaching this point, you have used 
all four suits, and you must now proceed 
to a repetition of them in the same order 
in connection with the values indicated 
by the succeeding words of the coup- 
let. 

So, we continue by laying down the 
two of diamonds. The seven of spades is 
next, and after this, the nine of hearts and 
the five of clubs. 

Thus, the four suits are completed for 
a second time, and for the next cards we 
must repeat them in their order yet again 
while following the values given in the 
couplet. 

It is obvious that after thirteen cards 
have been thus laid down in order, the 
couplet will have been exhausted. It 
then becomes necessary to continue by be- 
ginning the couplet again, using it with 
the order of the suits just as before. 

[24] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

It will be seen that in arranging the 
whole pack the couplet containing the 
thirteen values of the cards must be used 
four times, while the order of the suits 
must be used thirteen times. 

Having completed the arrangement of 
the cards secretly, the announcement is 
made to the company that you will name 
each card in its order. 

With the pack lying face downward on 
the table, you mentally recall the first word 
of the couplet and at the same time the 
first suit of the order as arranged. This 
gives you eight and diamonds. You there- 
fore state that the first card is the eight 
of diamonds. You then pick up this card 
from the top of the pack, and show it to 
the spectators. 

You then similarly recall the second 
word of the couplet, kings, and the second 
suit, spades, and declare that the next card 
is the king of spades. 

In like fashion, you proceed with the 
enumeration of each successive card in 

[25T 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

the pack, to the utter mystification of the 
company. 

The trick is a very old one, but it is 
not generally known, and it is very effec- 
tive. 

It is best for this trick to have a dupli- 
cate deck of cards already arranged, and 
to substitute this prepared pack when re- 
quired. 



[26] 



THE MAGIC PAIRS 



THIS is a trick that depends on the 
use of a formula, or set of words, 
memorized by the performer. 

You deal twenty cards from the deck, 
laying them face upward on the table in 
a series of pairs, arranged vertically. You 
then ask any number of the persons present 
to choose each a pair from the ten pairs 
displayed on the table, and to hold the two 
cards in memory. 

You pick up the cards from the table, 
taking care to keep each pair united. But 
you may gather up the different pairs in 
any order you please, so long as the two 
cards in every pair are not separated. 

The twenty cards are next laid face up- 
ward on the table a second time. But now 

[27] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

the arrangement of them is in four rows, 
with five cards in each row. And it is now 
that you are to make use of the secret 
formula on which the trick depends. 

The cards in this distribution are not 
laid down in the ordinary way, that is 
from the left to the right for the five in 
the first row, and then again from the left 
to the right for the five in the second row, 
and so on. Instead, you must place the 
two cards of each pair in certain positions 
indicated by the formula. The formula is: 
Mutus dedit nomen Cocis, which is the 
Latin for, u Change gave name to the 
Coci." The sentence is made up merely 
for the sake of the trick. 

It will be seen that in these words there 
is a total of twenty letters, corresponding 
to the number of cards, the ten pairs. 
Moreover, each of the words consists of 
five letters, corresponding to the five cards 
of each row for the new arrangement. 
Finally, it must be noted that the twenty 
letters contain ten pairs. Thus, for ex- 

[28] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

ample, there are two u's in the first word, 
mutus. The first letter of this word, m, 
occurs also as the middle letter of the 
word, nomen. The third letter of mutus, 
t, is the last letter of the word dedit. The 
final letter of mutus, s, is also the final 
letter of Cocis. In similar fashion, the 
other pairs of letters are distributed 
through the various words. 

You must have a mental picture of the 
formula: 

MUTUS 
DEDIT 

NOMEN 
COCIS 

Now, in laying down the pairs of cards 
on the table, you must distribute them so 
that each pair will take the place of a 
pair of letters in the formula. Thus, your 
first card will take the place of the letter, 
m, at the beginning of the word, mutus. 

The second card of the first pair must 

[29] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

not be laid down beside the other. Instead, 
you must so place it as to take the position 
of the other m in the formula. This m 
is the central letter of the word, nomen, 
which forms the third line. You there- 
fore make the second card occupy the 
middle place in the imaginary third row 
on the table. 

In laying down the second pair of cards, 
you give them the positions of the two us 
in the first word, mutus. Thus, the first 
card of the pair is laid in the second place 
in the row, and the other card of the pair 
in the fourth place of the same row. 

The other pairs of cards are similarly 
distributed, making them in each instance 
assume the places of the repeated letters 
of the formula. 

The method is clearly shown in the fol- 
lowing chart, where each pair of cards is 
represented by repetition of the correspond- 
ing figures from one to ten in connection 
with the letters that serve as guides for 
the arrangement. 

[30] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 



M 


U 


T 


U 


S 


i 


2 


4 


2 


8 


D 


E 


D 


I 


T 


3 


5 


3 


IO 


4 


N 


O 


M 


E 


N 


' 9 


7 


i 


5 


9 


C 


O 


C 


I 


S 


6 


7 


6 


IO 


8 



The twenty cards having been laid down 
on the table according to this system, you 
next ask those who have selected pairs to 
indicate in which row, or rows, the pairs 
are displayed. If some one states that the 
two cards selected by him are in the first 
row and the third, you instantly name those 
two cards. You are able to do this be- 
cause according to the formula, m is the 
only letter that appears in the first row 
and in the third. Since you have arranged 
the cards by pairs to correspond with the 
pairs of letters in the formula, you know 

[3i] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

that the first card of the first row and the 
central card of the third row compose this 
pair. 

If another person declares that both 
the cards of his pair are in the first row, 
you immediately name for him the second 
and fourth cards as his selection, since these 
take the place of the letter u in that row, 
and the u is the only letter thus repeated 
in the row. 

In like fashion, all of the chosen pairs 
may be readily named. It should be noted 
that any number of persons may select 
pairs, since the result will be exact in 
every instance. When more than ten 
persons make a selection, there will, of 
course, be duplication of the pairs to a 
greater or less extent. 

It is advisable to have as many persons 
as is convenient make their choice at the 
outset, when the ten pairs are first laid 
down on the table. It is not expedient 
usually to repeat the trick. The particular 
method of distributing the cards in the 

[32] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

four rows when done a second time may 
give a clue to the method. But, if it is 
desired to repeat the trick, care should be 
taken to follow a different order in ar- 
ranging the cards. For example, instead 
of giving the first pair the places of the 
letter m in the first and the third line, you 
may make them the first and third cards 
in the second row, corresponding to the two 
d's in dedit, and then make the second pair 
of cards stand for the two c's of Cocis in 
the bottom row. This variation will tend 
still further to mystify the observers. In 
fact, the pairs may be distributed in any 
order preferred, so long as each two cards 
occupies the two places of a particular 
letter. 



[33] 



THE TURNED CARD 



THIS is a very old and simple trick, 
but it is none the less very effective 
oftentimes. It consists merely in arrang- 
ing the twelve court cards in a horizontal 
row on the table, and then telling the com- 
pany to reverse any one of the cards while 
your back is turned, after which you will 
touch the card thus changed. 

Close observation of the court cards 
reveals the fact that practically always the 
margin at one end of a card is somewhat 
wider than at the other end. When you 
lay the cards on the table, you must take 
care that all the cards have their wider 
and narrower margins in line. That is to 
say, that each of the cards in the row of 
twelve has its wide margin at the same 

[34] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

end as has the card next to it, and similarly 
for all the others. 

You direct that one or more of the 
cards shall be reversed, while your back 
is turned, or even while you are out of the 
room. After this has been done, a glance 
at the ro,w shows which card or cards have 
been turned, and you name these. 

You should note that sometimes the 
company agrees to reverse all of the cards, 
or none, and you should be alert against 
being puzzled by this manoeuvre. 

It is better not to repeat the trick often. 
Nor should you, before doing the trick a 
second time, restore any changed cards 
to their first position, which would tend 
to give a clue to the manner of perform- 
ing the trick. You must instead keep in 
memory the alterations made, and so be 
able to observe the reversing of these cards 
as well as of the others. 



[35] 



THE MAGIC SQUARE 



THIS is properly a puzzle, rather than 
a trick, but it will be found an ex- 
cellent source of entertainment. 

The requirement is to place sixteen cards, 
the four aces and the twelve court cards, 
in four rows of four each, in such a 
manner that no one row, whether hori- 
zontal or vertical, shall contain two cards 
of the same suit or of the same value. 

This may be accomplished easily enough 
as follows: 

Lay down any four cards of the same 
value in a diagonal line of the square that 
is to be formed. Then lay down a second 
diagonal line of four cards having the 
same value. For example, the first di- 
agonal might be composed of four kings, 

[36] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

while the second might contain four aces. 
But here it should be noted that the two 
central cards of the diagonals must be so 
chosen that the conditions of the puzzle 
are observed in the matter of the suits. 
Thus, with kings and aces for the di- 
agonals, the two central kings must be of 
the same color, whether red or black, while 
the two central aces must be of the op- 
posite color. Likewise, the end cards of 
the diagonals must be of different colors 
for the different values. The kings as end 
cards might be either black or red, and 
the aces at the ends of their line would be 
of the opposite color. Having reached this 
point in the arrangement of the cards, the 
completion of the task offers no difficulty. 
But, for convenience, one arrangement of 
the cards according to the terms of the 
puzzle is presented on the next page. 



[37] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 















ty 







Fig. i. 



[38] 



THE ROYAL COURT 



THIS is a trick that depends entirely 
on the arrangement of the cards, 

Take the twelve face cards, that is, the 
king, queen and knave of each suit. Dis- 
tribute these on the table face upward in 
three rows of four for each row. In doing 
so, you must take care to see that all four 
suits are in the first row. That is to say, 
there must be no duplicates in suit. But 
the value of the four cards is of no im- 
portance. Only, each card, whatever its 
value, must be of a different suit from the 
other three in the row. 

Now, in laying down the second row, 
the first card must have the same suit as 
the last card in the first row. Then, the 
second card must have the suit of the first 

[39] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

card in the first row; the third card must 
have the suit of the second card in the first 
row, and the last card of this second row 
must have the suit of the third card in the 
row above. Thus, the second row also has 
the four suits, as did the first row. And, 
again, the value of the cards is of no im- 
portance. For the third row, the begin- 
ning is similarly with the suit of the last 
card in the preceding row. The second 
card in the third row has the suit of the 
first card in the preceding row: the third 
card, the suit of the second card in the 
preceding row: the fourth card, the suit 
of the third card in the preceding row. 

You next gather up the cards, one by 
one, beginning with the last card of the 
third row, and placing on it in their order 
the last card of the second row, and of the 
first row. You then lay on these the third 
card of the last row, and after it in their 
order the third card in each row above. 
You continue with the second card of the 
last row and the second card of each row 

[40] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

above in order. The series is finished by 
laying down the first card of each row, 
beginning at the bottom as before. 

Having thus assembled the face cards, 
offer them face downward to any one for 
cutting. They may be cut any number of 
times, but they must not be shuffled. 

Now, lay the cards face upward on the 
table. Four cards are first laid down in 
a row. These are followed by four more 
similarly laid down on the first row, and 
the remainder of the cards are distributed 
in like manner. 

It will be found that in each of the four 
heaps, the three cards comprise the king, 
queen and knave of the same suit, though 
not necessarily in this order. 



[41] 



THE ASSEMBLY 



PLACE the sixteen court cards and 
aces together anywhere in the pack. 
Then, offer the pack to be cut, with the 
purpose of separating this assembly of the 
high cards. You must take care, however, 
that only a simple or whist cut is used: 
the pack must not be shuffled. Any 
number of persons may thus cut the deck 
any number of times. 

On receiving back the deck you should 
secretly notice the bottom card. If it be 
one of the high cards, you should yourself 
give a final cut to the pack, declaring that 
it is merely for luck. 

It is well to allow one of the spectators 
to run over the cards and thus to disclose 
the fact that the assembly of high cards 

[42] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

remains absolutely undisturbed by the 
numerous cuts. 

As a matter of fact, it is quite impossible 
by cutting to separate such a collection of 
cards in the pack, except by bringing part 
to the top and part to the bottom, and such 
separation will be ended by the next cut, 
which must bring the two parts together. 
It is against this possibility of separation 
that you need to take precaution by observ- 
ing the bottom card, and then adding a cut 
if required. But only rarely will this be 
necessary. The trick is simple, but it will 
be found baffling to most spectators, who 
are totally unable to understand the inef- 
fectiveness of the cut in this instance. 



[43] 



DISCOVERY OF FOUR 



IN this one trick, four cards selected by 
four different persons are readily dis- 
covered by the performer, in the follow- 
ing manner: 

Four cards are given to a member of 
the company, a second four to another 
person, and a third and fourth four to 
two others. You direct each of those hold- 
ing these cards to choose one mentally, 
and to shuffle his packet of four contain- 
ing it as much as he pleases. 

For your own part, you must take care 
to remember each of the four persons ac- 
cording to the order in which you now take 
back the cards. 

You receive one of the packets and hold 
it in the left hand, face upward. Bear 

[44] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

in mind that the person from whom you 
take these cards is number one. You simi- 
larly take a second packet, which you lay 
face upward on the first in the left hand. 
The one from whom you receive these is 
to be remembered as number two. The 
procedure is the same for the remaining 
two packets, taken from the persons whom 
you designate to yourself as number three 
and number four respectively. 

You next deal the cards from the left 
hand, laying each face upward on the 
table. In this distribution, you place the 
cards from left to right in a row of four, 
and repeat this operation until all are dis- 
played on the table. There are thus four 
heaps, with four cards in each heap. 

A brief reflection at this point will ex- 
plain the manner of the trick. The four 
cards received from number one were the 
first four cards laid down. Therefore, the 
card selected by number one is the bottom 
card in one of the four heaps. Similarly, 
the four cards held by number two now 

[45] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

make the second card in each of the heaps, 
and the card chosen by him is the second 
card in one of those piles. The card 
selected by number three is likewise the 
third card in one of the piles, and the 
card of number four is the fourth. 

After the cards have been thus laid out, 
you ask each of the four persons to indicate 
the particular pile containing his card. 
You can then instantly name the cards 
selected, because the card of number one 
is the first or bottom one in the pile he 
points out; the card of number two is the 
second card in the pile pointed out by him, 
and the cards of number three and number 
four are respectively the third and the 
fourth cards in the heaps indicated. 

This trick may be performed also for 
three persons, giving three cards to each, 
and afterward distributing them in three 
piles. Or it might be done, if not too 
much of a tax on the memory, for a larger 
number of persons up to seven, making in 

[46] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

each case the number of cards given to 

each person correspond to the number of 

persons, and having a like number of 
separate piles in the final arrangement. 



[47] 



DISCOVERY OF TWO 



THIS trick was invented by the author, 
and has been frequently used by him 
during many years, without the method of 
it ever having been detected by the ob- 
servers. At the present time, it is em- 
ployed often by professional magicians. 
In spite of its effectiveness, it is exceed- 
ingly simple, and for that reason is in- 
cluded in this portion of the book. Indeed, 
in its very simplicity is found the reason 
for its power to mystify those beholding it. 
In performing the trick, you give one 
half of the pack to one person, and the 
other half to a second person. You direct 
these two individuals each to draw out a 
card. While each retains the selected 
card, you take back the other cards. You 

[48] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

then direct each of the two persons to look 
secretly at the card he holds, and to re- 
member it. When they have done so, you 
return to each of them a half portion of 
the deck, and bid them place their cards 
with the others, and shuffle them to any 
desired extent. When you finally receive 
back the cards, you are able after glancing 
through them rapidly to name both of the 
chosen cards, and you may end the trick 
by simply announcing what cards were 
drawn, or in any one of the ways to be 
described later on for concluding a trick. 
One such method will be given under the 
next heading as an ending to this portion 
of the book. 

The means by which this trick is ac- 
complished is arrangement of the cards, 
and not sleight-of-hand, although it is 
necessary to deceive the observers in one 
particular as to what is actually done with 
the cards themselves. 

You prepare for the trick privately by 
separating a pack of cards into its two 

U9] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

colors. To one person, you must give that 
portion of the deck containing all black 
cards; to the other person, that portion of 
the deck containing all red cards.- 

You next bid each of them to draw out 
a card, and to retain it. You then take 
back the other cards from them, holding 
the packet of red cards in one hand and 
the packet of black cards in the other hand. 

You now direct the two persons to look 
at their cards and to remember them. 
After they have done so, you give to each 
again a half of the deck, with instructions 
to place therein the chosen card, and to 
shuffle it as much as he will with the 
others. 

It is at this point that the trick is es- 
sentially accomplished, for you must give 
to each of the two that portion of the pack 
which was originally given to the other. 
In doing this, it is not necessary that you 
change the cards you hold. All that is 
required is that, to the person from whom 
you took the cards into your left hand, you 

[50] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

should now give the cards in your right 
hand, while you should give the cards in 
your left hand to the other person from 
whom you took back the cards into your 
right hand. 

Since all of the cards given to one in- 
dividual'were red, and to the other black, 
the card retained by the one person must 
be red, and the card retained by the other 
person must be black. By your changing 
of the two portions of the deck, one of 
the two persons places his red card among 
the black cards, while the other places his 
black card among the red. No amount of 
shuffling can alter the fact that there is 
thus one red card in the black half of the 
deck, and one black card in the red half 
of the deck. On receiving back the two 
portions, you bring them together, but 
without shuffling. By swiftly running over 
the cards from the end, you will note the 
one red card among the black cards, and 
the one black among the red. 

[51] 



THE PERMANENT CARD 



THE following is a remarkably ef- 
fective way of concluding a trick 
when it is desirable to display in an as- 
tonishing manner a card selected by one 
of the company. Thus, it might be used 
in connection with the foregoing trick. 
Instead of giving the two parts of the 
prepared deck to two persons, you should 
give only half, to one person, for example 
the red cards. You then bid him draw 
out one of the cards, and after he has done 
so, you take back from him the other red 
cards. You now direct him to observe the 
card he has retained. When he has done 
so, you offer him the black half of the 
deck, bidding him replace the card and 
shuffle. On taking back the cards, a glance 

[52] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

through them enables you to find the card 
chosen, since it will be the one red among 
the twenty-six black cards. But you do 
not announce the card. Instead, you pro- 
ceed to the conclusion of the trick, in this 
wise: 

On discovering the selected card, you 
advance one card beyond it, and then cut 
the cards so that the chosen card will be 
next to the top card. It is necessary now 
to shuffle the cards a little, in order to 
mingle the red and black, but in doing 
this care must be taken to maintain the 
position of the top two cards. 

You next lay face downward on the 
table nine cards in three rows of three 
cards each, and then another nine on top 
of these, making eighteen in all. As you 
lay these cards down from left to right, it 
is obvious that the chosen card, which was 
next to the top of the deck, must be the 
second card laid down on the table, and 
it is now therefore the bottom card of the 
two in the middle of the first row. This 

[53] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

location must be carefully remembered, 
since it is of vital importance to the trick. 

When the cards have thus been dis- 
tributed, you ask the chooser of the card 
to select one of the vertical rows. After 
he has indicated his choice, your procedure 
depends on whether or not he has chosen 
the middle row, which of course includes 
his card. If he has chosen the middle row, 
you immediately pick up the other two 
rows, and throw them aside. You then 
ask him to choose one of the three pairs 
of the middle row left lying on the table. 
If he now selects the top pair, of which 
the bottom one is his original card, you 
now leave this pair, but take away the 
other two pairs. You finally bid him 
select one of the two cards left. If he 
selects his own card, you cast aside the 
other, and direct him to turn over the one 
he has selected, when to his amazement 
he discovers that it is in fact the card of 
his original selection. 

But if, of the two cards, he should indi- 

[54] 



Tricks Without Sleight-of-Hand 

cate the one not originally chosen by him, 
you simply cast this card aside in a matter- 
of-fact manner, and remark that there 
now remains only a single card out of the 
eighteen laid down, and bid him turn this 
over. When he does so, his astonishment 
is unbounded to recognize in it the card 
of his choice. 

It is in this various method of treating 
the person's selection of rows and cards 
that the secret of the trick is to be found. 
The student would naturally suppose that 
an intelligent person must notice the dif- 
ference between leaving a row on the table 
or throwing it aside after it has been 
selected. But the intelligent person does 
not so notice. 

Thus, for example, if at the outset he 
should choose either of the other rows 
instead of the middle row, you instantly 
cast this row aside, and bid him choose 
again one of the two remaining rows. If 
now he chooses the third row, that in turn 
is cast aside, and afterward the procedure 

[55] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

with the middle row, which is the only one 
now left, is exactly as described above. But 
if instead of choosing the third row, he 
chooses the middle row, your action is the 
same as before, for you cast aside the 
third row, and continue with the trick in 
the manner described above. 

So, too, in reference to the middle row: 
whatever pair is chosen, your procedure 
must be the same. As a matter of form, 
you ask him to choose one of the pairs. 
But, unless he chooses the top pair which 
contains his card, you cast aside the pair 
he chooses, and bid him make another 
selection, when again you cast aside his 
choice, if it be not the top pair. It is 
indeed curious that you are able in such 
fashion either to retain his selection on the 
table, or to remove it, without his ever dis- 
covering the flagrant deception, but so it is. 



[56] 



II 

SLEIGHT-OF-HAND WITH 
CARDS 



SLEIGHT-OF-HAND WITH 
CARDS 



THERE are three sleight-of-hand re- 
quirements that are essential to the 
performer for most of his tricks with 
cards. The three are the shifting of the 
cut, the forcing of a card and the false 
shuffle. Some explanation of the three 
will now be given, taking them in their 
order. 



[59] 



SHIFTING THE CUT 



THE shifting of a cut is of vital im- 
portance for the accomplishment of 
innumerable tricks. Whenever any of the 
cards are arranged in a certain position, 
it is necessary to maintain them in their 
order, but, at the same time, it is also 
necessary, in order to deceive the specta- 
tors as to this fact of arrangement, to offer 
the cards for cutting. After the cut has 
been made, the performer must restore the 
pack to the exact condition it had before 
being cut, and he must do this without 
permitting anyone to detect the operation. 
Such a shifting of the cut has been com- 
monly called by magicians, " making the 
pass." It may be done in many different 
ways, and it may be successfully accom- 

[60] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

plished by the use of either both hands or 
only one. Usually, however, the use of 
both hands is by far the more effective, 
because it permits the greater speed and 
secrecy. The description that follows gives 
in detail the best method of shifting the 
cut by the use of both hands. It is given 
here at the outset in order that the student 
may immediately begin the practice of it. 
It is essential that he should attain a con- 
siderable degree of proficiency in perform- 
ing this feat if he would attain reputation 
as a magician. 

In picking up the cards after the pack 
has been separated into two parts by cut- 
ting, you must take up first from the table 
with the right hand the portion that be- 
longs properly underneath, and lay it in 
the left hand. You then pick up the other 
portion and lay it also in the left hand 
above the other, but in doing so you take 
care to thrust the little finger of the left 
hand forward, so that it remains between 
the two portions, thus keeping them sepa- 

[61] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

rate. This operation of the little finger 
is concealed from the spectators by the 
right hand, which remains palm downward 
covering the whole pack. 

The little finger is maintained in its 
position between the two halves of the 
pack, and the other three fingers of the 
left hand are closed over the top of the 
pack. The thumb of the left hand also 
lies over the top of the deck. Now, by a 
pressure on the ends of the lower part, the 
second finger and thumb of the right hand 
move the lower section of the cards a little 
to the left within the angle of the left 
thumb. At the same time, by a pressure 
of the little finger of the left hand under- 
neath and the three fingers of the left 
hand above, the upper part of the pack is 
moved to the right. The effect is still hid- 
den by the right hand. But this separa- 
tion of the two portions is sufficient so that 
the upper portion firmly held between the 
little finger of the left hand below and the 
other three fingers above, may have its 

[62] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

left edge tilted upward. In the same 
moment, the thumb and finger of the right 
hand, pressing on the ends of the lower 
section of the cards, tilt the right edge of 
that portion upward, lifting it clear of the 
left edge of the other section of cards, and 
a little above. By a closing movement of 
the left hand, the two parts of the deck 
are again brought to a level, but now the 
portion between thumb and finger of the 
right hand, which was originally under- 
neath, slides into place on top, and the 
shifting of the cut has been accom- 
plished. 

Although a description of the process 
requires so long in the telling, the actual 
operation requires only the tiniest fraction 
of a second. When performed with a 
reasonable degree of skill, it is absolutely 
invisible to even the most observant specta- 
tor. The student should practice making 
the pass very slowly and carefully until 
he has familiarized himself with its various 
movements. He must attain perfect cer- 

[6 3 ] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

tainty as to each detail, before making any 
least effort toward speed. When by care- 
ful slowness he has acquired sureness, he 
should continue the practice until the 
necessary rapidity also marks his execution 
of the feat. 

Shifting the cut with one hand is often 
useful, but it should never be attempted 
except when the attention of the company 
is diverted by the action of the other hand. 
By skill, this shift may be rendered almost 
invisible to the spectator, but not quite, 
since there is lacking the concealment of- 
fered by the other hand in the method 
already described. 

In making this shift, the cut cards are 
first laid in the left hand, just as for the 
first method. But, now, before the right 
hand is removed, it slides the upper part 
of the pack a little way to the left. At the 
same time, the first and little fingers of the 
left hand are bent under the lower section 
of cards, and the other two fingers of the 
same hand are pressed on the top of this 

[64] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

section, on the margin left by the sliding 
of the top cards to the left. The right 
hand is now taken away, and the whole 
pack is held between the thumb of the left 
hand and the fingers in the manner de- 
scribed, with the upper part of the deck 
extended, to the left beyond the lower part. 

The base of the thumb is now pressed 
against the left edge of the upper section, 
so that the right edge is tilted upward. 
At the same time, the fingers move to the 
right, carrying the lower section with them, 
and by further movement of the fingers 
the left edge of this lower section is tilted 
upward, until it clears the tilted edge of 
the other section, and extends above. 

The pressure of the thumb is relaxed, 
allowing the upper section to fall level 
on the palm of the hand. In the same 
instant, the fingers close, bringing the lower 
section to rest above the other. The first 
finger and the little finger in this move- 
ment slip from beneath to join the other 
fingers on top of the deck. Thus the por- 

[6 5 ] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

tion of cards that was underneath is now 
above, and the cut has been shifted. 

The student will find that this method 
needs considerable practice, but careful 
repetitions until the exact movements are 
acquired will result in a skill such that 
the shift may be performed easily during 
the dropping of the left hand to the table 
as if merely to even the edges of the cards. 



[66] 



FORCING A CARD 



FORCING a card is one of the con- 
stant requirements in the perform- 
ance of card tricks. To a great extent, the 
precise details must vary according to the 
individual performer and the particular 
circumstances in each case. It would be 
quite impossible to cover all these, but the 
underlying principle is very simple, and, 
once it has been mastered, there remains 
only the necessity for such practice as shall 
make it readily available at all times and 
easily variable according to changing con- 
ditions. 

The only preparation required is knowl- 
edge as to the location of a certain card. 
Perhaps the simplest method is to observe 
secretly the bottom card of the pack, and 

[67] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

then to cut the cards while holding them 
in the two hands, and to keep the little 
finger between the two parts after the cut 
is made. The student should note here 
that in thus cutting the cards he is to follow 
exactly the procedure already described 
for making the pass with two hands. By 
this means, he conceals the fact of the cut 
from the spectators. Thus, if the cards 
have been thoroughly shuffled, they can- 
not suspect that he knows a particular card 
in the central portion of the deck. Never- 
theless, he does possess such knowledge, 
since the card that was on the bottom is 
now lying next above his little finger. 

You offer the pack so that someone may 
draw out a card. In doing this, the pack 
remains lying in the left hand. The right 
hand seizes the upper part of the deck, the 
thumb on top, and all the fingers below, 
their tips resting against the known card, 
which is indicated by the position of the 
little finger of the left hand. You spread 
the cards slightly, as if inviting the person 

[68] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

to choose one. As his fingers approach 
any card, the fingers of your right hand 
slide forward the known card. At the 
very instant when the fingers of the chooser 
touch the cards, the known card must 
project a little beyond the others, so that 
the reaching fingers naturally fall on it, 
and it is drawn. It is advisable often to 
make a slight, almost imperceptible move- 
ment of the whole pack thus spread in 
readiness for the choice, so that by this 
movement the known card is brought 
actually within the grasp of the chooser, 
quite without his knowledge of the fact 
that it is being substituted for the card he 
had meant to select. 

In performing this trick, the student 
must be alert to study his failures in order 
to guard against a repetition of them. It 
is well to practice with someone in your 
confidence, in order thoroughly to f amiliar- 
ize yourself with the method before at- 
tempting its use for deception. Practice 
will develop an astonishing amount of skill 

[69] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

in the fingers of the right hand, so that, as 
the pack is held loosely spread out in the 
two hands, the known card, by the pres- 
sure of the finger tips on which it rests, 
may be moved from the middle of the deck 
to the bottom and back to the top — indeed, 
here and there as required. Often, the 
chooser will change his mind, and, after 
seeming about to take a card near the top, 
reach suddenly for one at the bottom. 
But, in such case, the known card follows 
his movement easily and swiftly, first to 
the top, then to the bottom. Faithful prac- 
tice offers the only way to success in this 
matter of forcing a card, and its rewards 
are sure, bringing to the performer a 
facility to win the admiration of those 
whom he entertains. 



[70] 



THE FALSE SHUFFLE 



OFTEN in performing a trick, it is 
necessary to shuffle the cards with 
apparent thoroughness, while yet preserv- 
ing unchanged a certain order in which 
they have been placed. Thus, it may be 
desired to maintain the position of a par- 
ticular card on the bottom of the pack; 
or on the top; or at some point near one 
or the other. In such case, the shuffling 
must be done in such a manner that this 
special card is undisturbed. 

If it is required to maintain the bottom 
card or cards in that position, the pack 
may be held in the left hand, and shuffled 
seemingly as usual. To accomplish this, 
care is taken when raising the cards in the 
right hand to have the clasp of the left 

[71] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



hand relaxed, so that the thumb and finger 
may lift out part of the cards for the 
shuffle, while leaving the bottom un- 
changed. The cards so lifted are shuffled 
in the ordinary way above the others. A 
second portion may be similarly drawn out 
and shuffled without disturbing the bot- 
tom of the pack. It is impossible for the 
spectators to perceive that the bottom part 
of the pack is not lifted up. 

If the requirement is to maintain the 
top of the pack unchanged, it is necessary 
only to shuffle in the usual manner, taking 
up as much of the pack as may be desired 
from the under portion, and shuffling these 
over on the upper portion. The one pe- 
culiarity in this operation is that the cards 
thus shuffled over are so dropped as to 
project their forward end a little beyond 
the original top cards now below them. 
Then, when the shuffle is completed, it is 
merely required to pick up this lower part 
of the deck, and restore it to its place on 
top, thus securing the desired result by 

[72] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

what appears to be the final operation of 
the shuffle. 

Either of the false shuffles may be con- 
tinued for any length of time in the same 
manner. 

It is even simpler to effect a false shuffle 
when the two halves of the pack are laid 
on the table, and there riffled. It is now 
necessary to begin the mingling of the 
two portions of the deck after letting the 
bottom cards first fall without admixture, 
if the arrangement of the bottom part is 
to be preserved; or to complete the ming- 
ling before reaching the top of the deck, 
if the particular order is located there. 

This false shuffle also may be safely re- 
peated any number of times without danger 
of detection. 

Certain other instructions as to sleight- 
of-hand will be given in connection with 
various tricks for which they are requisite. 
But the foregoing are the most important 
features of sleight-of-hand in connection 

[73] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

with cards, and proficiency in them is 
constantly demanded for successful per- 
formance. The student is advised to prac- 
tice them diligently, in order to gain the 
mastery before attempting to make use 
of them in public. 



[74] 



THE INDICATED CARD 



THIS is perhaps the simplest possible 
form of a card trick done by sleight- 
of-hand. Holding the deck in the left hand, 
after having observed the bottom card, 
with the fingers of the right hand over the 
top end of the cards, you draw the cards 
back a little one by one, descending from 
the top. At the same time, you invite the 
spectators to halt you at any preferred 
card. When the choice is made known, 
you draw back this card, together with 
all the cards above it, and hold out this 
portion of the pack with the face of the 
bottom card toward the company, and you 
name the card. 

The spectators believe that the card thus 
shown them is that on which the choice 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

fell. As a matter of fact, they are de- 
ceived by your sleight-of-hand. For, as 
you draw off the cards and separate them 
from the lower part of the deck, you draw 
off also by means of the thumb of your 
right hand, which presses against it, the 
bottom card. As you lift the cards up, the 
thumb holds this card from the bottom 
tightly against the indicated card, and it 
thus becomes the one displayed to the 
spectators instead of the card really 
selected. Since you have been at pains to 
notice the bottom card before beginning 
the trick, you now have no difficulty in 
naming it. 

In doing this trick, it is advisable always 
after observing the bottom card to give 
the pack a false shuffle, and then proceed 
to the trick without any apparent atten- 
tion to the arrangement of the cards. 



[76] 



THE FACED CARD 



THIS is a simple, but rather effective, 
method of ending a trick, when it 
is desired to display the particular card 
chosen by one of the company. It is to 
be used at pleasure for this purpose, ir- 
respective of the method in which the trick 
otherwise is performed. For example, let 
us suppose that you have noted the ace of 
hearts on the bottom of the pack. You 
use a false shuffle, and then make the pass, 
so that the ace of hearts is in the middle 
of the pack after the manner described in 
connection with forcing a card. You next 
force some one to draw this particular 
card, and allow him, after looking at it, 
to replace it wherever he chooses in the 
pack, and then to shuffle the cards himself, 

\-77l 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

Taking back the deck, you run over it 
until you locate the ace of hearts, after 
which you cut the cards so that the ace 
is on the top of the pack. This operation 
should be followed by a false shuffle that 
leaves the ace still the top card. With the 
pack held in both hands, you raise it a 
distance of about two feet above the table, 
and at the same time you slide the top card 
secretly about a half-inch to the left, so 
that this edge of it projects beyond the 
remainder of the deck. You now take 
away the left hand, and then, using care 
to hold the cards quite level, suddenly let 
them fall to the table. If properly exe- 
cuted, the pack as a whole falls and lies 
face downward on the table, but the top 
card is affected by the rush of air against 
its projecting side during the fall, and the 
force of this is sufficient to turn the card 
over. Thus, at the end of the trick, the 
ace of hearts drawn by the spectator sud- 
denly appears lying face upward on the 
pack in distinction from all the other cards. 

[78] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

Any known card may be revealed to the 
company in this manner. A simple com- 
bination would be to use " The Indicated 
Card " trick just described, with the varia- 
tion of not naming the card after showing 
it to the company. Then permit the cards 
to be shuffled, and afterward run through 
them yourself to locate the card, which 
you already know. Bring it to the top of 
the deck, and by way of concluding the 
trick display it face upward on the pack 
by dropping to the table according to the 
directions. 



[79] 






PALMING A CARD 



MANY tricks of a most effective sort 
may be performed in connection 
with the palming of a card, and the stu- 
dent should give particular attention to 
cultivating his ability in this regard. 

In the operation, a card is taken from 
the top of the deck, and is held concealed 
in the right hand for any desired length of 
time. The manner of palming is as fol- 
lows: 

The pack is held in the left hand, with 
the fingers low and the thumb on top. 
The right hand is laid over the cards for 
a moment. In this moment the left thumb 
pushes the top card to the right so that 
about a third of its width projects beyond 
the other cards; the fingers of the left 

[80] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

hand are extended upward, so that their 
tips press against the under side of the 
protruding top card, and thrust it firmly 
against the palm of the right hand. As 
the right hand closes a little, the card 
bends and is held snugly by the pressure 
against its edges. Afterward, the right 
hand may be used freely in gestures or 
otherwise, as for example, in holding the 
pack by the thumb and middle finger 
against the ends, but of course care must 
be exercised not to give the spectators 
any glimpse of the palm and its contents. 
Whenever it is so desired, the palmed card 
may be restored to its place on top of the 
deck, and left there when the hand is 
again removed. Since the card might be 
a little bent and thus attract attention, it 
is advisable after restoring it to hold he 
deck firmly beween thumb and fingers of 
the left hand, and while doing so to ruffle 
the pack by pulling the first finger of the 
right hand from bottom to top over the 
front end of the cards, and letting them 

[81] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

snap back. This action will correct the 
bend in the card that has been palmed. 

The palming of a card is of aid in 
numerous ways. Thus, after a card has 
been drawn and replaced in the pack, and 
brought to the top by making the pass, it 
may be palmed and the pack offered for 
shuffling. While the shuffle is in progress, 
you will be able to catch a glimpse of the 
card within your palm. It is restored to 
its position by taking back the deck with 
the right hand. This card may be after- 
ward disclosed in any one of the different 
forms preferred. 

The palming of the card may be made 
especially impressive by secretly disposing 
of it in some unexpected place while the 
pack is being shuffled. For example, it is 
easy usually to drop the card into a spec- 
tator's pocket without his knowledge. 
Then, after a little interval, and when at 
a distance from this individual, you an- 
nounce that the selected card will be found 
in Mr. So-and-so's pocket. 

[82] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

Another variation in the use of the 
palmed card is by restoring it to its place 
on top of the pack after thorough shuffling 
by one or more of the company, and then 
placing the deck in the pocket of a spec- 
tator. You announce that you will discover 
the chosen card by the mere sense of touch. 
You thrust a hand into the pocket, and 
readily draw forth the selected card, since 
it is the top one. 

The student will find pleasure in work- 
ing out for himself various ways of utiliz- 
ing his skill in this direction. 



[8 3 ] 



CHANGING A CARD 



CHANGING a card is a detail in 
sleight-of-hand practice by which 
striking effects may be gained. In this 
illusion, one card is openly substituted for 
another under the gaze of the company 
without their having the least suspicion of 
the fact. There are many different ways 
of changing the card, but two are so 
superior to the others that these only will 
be described. The first, which is simpler, 
but not absolutely imperceptible to a close 
observer, is as follows: 

The card that is to be changed is held 
between the first and second fingers of the 
right hand, midway of its right long edge. 
While the pack is held in the left hand, 
the right hand holding the card is brought 

[84] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

to it. The fingers of the left hand below 
the pack are straightened, so that the card 
between the fingers of the right hand may 
be slipped underneath the deck, and it is 
drawn level with the others by the closing 
of the left fingers. In the same instant, the 
left thumb on top of the deck slides the 
top card a little to the right, so that it 
projects out beyond the cards below. As 
the right hand inserts the edge of its card 
under the deck, the projecting card on top 
is caught between the thumb and finger 
of the right hand. Now, as the right hand 
is moved away, it carries with it that top 
card between thumb and first finger in 
place of the card formerly held between 
the second and third fingers, which is now 
at the bottom of the pack. 

The second method of changing the 
card is as follows: 

The card that is to be changed is held 
between the thumb and forefinger of the 
right hand. The pack is held as before 
in the left hand, with the thumb on top 

[8 5 ] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

and the fingers bent around the right edge 
of the cards. The right hand is brought 
close to the pack. Just as the card to be 
changed slides on top of the pack, the left 
thumb pushes the top card to the right, 
so that its edge projects a full half-inch 
beyond the remainder of the pack. Then 
the thumb is raised and falls on the card 
coming from the right hand, and draws it 
to the left, so that it is level with the 
others, and thus becomes the top card. 
But while the thumb is thus engaged, the 
fingers of the left hand reach upward until 
their tips touch the under surface of the 
projecting card, which they push out still 
further, so that as the right thumb and 
finger let go their hold on the first card, 
which the thumb draws away, they close 
again on the card slipped between them 
by the fingers of the left hand. The result 
is that when the right hand moves away, 
it holds a different card from that with 
which it approached, and this card is held 
in exactly the same manner. The whole 

[86] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

operation requires no more than the tiniest 
fraction of a second, and, if properly done, 
the substitution is absolutely invisible to 
even the most watchful spectator. 

This trick may be used in many different 
ways to the bewilderment of beholders. 
Thus, for example, before the change, the 
card may be shown to the company, then 
the substitution made, and the second card 
placed face downward by itself, the origi- 
nal card taken from the top of the pack 
and laid in another place, after which it 
will be found that the location of the 
cards has been reversed. Or, the original 
card may be palmed and dropped into 
some one's pocket, while the company 
keeps its attention on the substituted card, 
believing it to be the chosen one. 



[8 7 ] 



SPRINGING THE CARDS 

ONE of the feats performed by most 
conjurers is that of springing the 
card. This is hardly a true part of sleight- 
of-hand in the ordinary sense, but rather 
a bit of juggling. In the performance, 
when skilfully done, the cards appear 
fairly to fly from one hand to the other, 
back and forth, in a truly marvelous man- 
ner. For the sake of completeness, Hoff- 
mann's description is given of the manner 
in which this display is accomplished. 
The student will find the practice of it 
sufficiently difficult to hold his interest, but 
perseverance will master the knack of it. 

11 The cards are held in the right hand 
between the tips of the second and third 
fingers at the top, and the thumb at the 
bottom. If the thumb and fingers are now 

[88] 



Sleight-of-Hand with Cards 

brought slowly nearer together, so as to 
bend the cards slightly, they will one by 
one, in quick succession, beginning with 
the bottom card, spring away from the pack; 
and if the pressure be continued, the whole 
of the cards will spring away one after 
the other in this manner. If the left hand 
be held at ten or twelve inches distance 
from the right, with the fingers slightly 
bent, the released cards will be shot into 
the left hand, which, as the last cards reach 
it, should be rapidly brought palm to palm 
with the right, and square up the pack 
to repeat the process. By giving the body 
a quick half-turn to the right as the cards 
are sprung from one hand to the other, 
you may make the hands, and with them 
the moving cards, describe an arc of about 
two feet, and so deceive the eye of the 
spectator into the belief that the hands 
are that distance apart, though in reality, 
as they both move together in the same 
direction, they retain throughout their 
original distance of ten or twelve inches." 

[89] 



Ill 

TRICKS WITH COINS, 
WATCHES, DOMINOES, ETC. 



F 



TRICKS WITH COINS 



OR most, if not all, tricks with coins 
a certain degree of proficiency in 
sleight-of-hand is essential. Here, in the 
great majority of illusions, the art of palm- 
ing is of prime importance. The student 
should immediately begin a thorough and 
persistent practice if he would attain skill 
in this form of entertainment. A great 
many card-tricks may be performed with- 
out any dependence on palming. But the 
case is quite otherwise in connection with 
the use of coins, or, for that matter, in 
connection with whatever objects may be 
utilized as accessories by the conjurer. 

So, first and foremost, the student must 
seek to master the knack of palming a 
coin. When he has attained facility in 

[93] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

this operation with coins, he will be well 
equipped to pursue his practice so as to 
gain ease in thus handling other objects of 
different shapes and sizes. 

At the outset, the student is warned that 
he is to seek a skill that shall baffle the 
scrutiny of the most intelligent observer. 
He will do well to practice the various 
movements before a mirror, in order that 
he himself may play the part of a 
spectator. He may thus judge accurately 
whether or not he reveals in any least 
degree what he means to keep hidden. 

A second point of importance to which 
the student should give particular atten- 
tion has to do with the direction of his 
gaze while performing a trick. If he 
intends to deceive the company into be- 
lieving that he has taken a coin into his 
right hand, when in fact that hand is 
empty, he should keep his eyes fixed on 
the empty hand, for thereby he aids the 
illusion. Moreover, by a cunning control 
of his glances, he should on all occasions 

[94] 



Tricks with Coins 



divert the attention of the company in any 
desired direction. 

The palming of a coin is done in a 
variety of ways almost innumerable. Some 
of the best among these will now be de- 
scribed in detail. The student should 
practice each and all of them thoroughly. 
It will be found that each particular one 
is actually helped by practice of the others. 
But it is not meant that the student should 
make use of the several different manners 
of palming. After he has studied them 
for a time, he will find that one or two 
of them appeal particularly to him and 
that with them he attains a higher degree 
of skill. He should then give them place 
as his favorites, and humor his preference 
by striving to acquire perfection in the 
use of them. Such freedom of choice in 
a final selection is essential in order to 
take full advantage of one's own personal 
peculiarities. 

The student should bear in mind that 
he must develop a skill sufficient to hold 

[95] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

concealed in the palm of his hand any 
small object, such as a coin, or even larger 
things, such as a watch, or an egg, or the 
like. Of course, the size of the hand 
varies in different individuals, and the 
ability to palm the larger articles varies 
accordingly. If the student has a very 
small hand, he should accept the fact 
philosophically, and by no means attempt 
to palm any except objects of small size. 
For the purposes of preliminary practice 
in acquiring the rudiments of the art, a 
quarter of a dollar offers the most con- 
venient size. This should be used for 
exercise in palming at the outset. After- 
ward, the practice should be continued 
with other coins until proficiency is at- 
tained with the various sizes from a dime 
to a dollar. Furthermore, the palming 
must not be limited to one hand. After 
some degree of skill with the right hand 
has been acquired, there should be an 
endeavor to attain equal facility with the 
left hand. 

[96] 



Tricks with Coins 



For the first exercise, proceed as follows: 
Lay a quarter on the palm of either 

hand held open and upward, as on the 

left in the illustration. 




Fig. 2. 




Fig. 3. 



If, now, you close the palm a very little, 
the contraction will cause the flesh to press 
against the edges of the coin and to hold 

[97] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

it firmly in its position, so that you may 
turn the hand over, or move it about freely 
without causing the piece of money to 
fall. The contracted palm is shown in the 
lower illustration on preceding page. If 
this result is not secured, it is because the 
coin is not properly placed on the palm. 
The exact location may be easily deter- 
mined while holding the palm upward, by 
moving the coin slightly with the fingers of 
the left hand, and after each change trying 
the effect of contracting the muscles. A 
little actual experiment in this direction 
will accomplish for you more than many 
pages of description. 



[98] 



THE PASS 



WHEN once certainty of thus hold- 
ing the coin has been acquired, 
you should practice easy and natural move- 
ments of the arm and of the hand itself. 
You must bear in mind throughout the 
necessity for caution in keeping the palm 
of the hand turned downward and always 
away from the spectators. In this par- 
ticular, as in other details, practice before 
the mirror must not be neglected. Pains 
should be taken to use the fingers freely, 
while still maintaining the coin in its posi- 
tion by contraction of the palm. It is not 
advisable at this time to experiment with 
any object other than the quarter. But, 
as soon as secure holding of this piece in 
the palm of either hand has been estab- 

[99] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

lished, the student should proceed to try 
the various forms of the pass, as it is 
termed by professional magicians, which 
is a seeming transfer of an article from 
one hand to the other while in fact it 
remains in the hand that first held it. 

For the first attempt of the pass, hold 
the quarter between the thumb and second 
finger of the hand, with the first and third 
fingers touching it lightly. Raise the 
thumb clear, and in the same instant close 
the fingers on the palm of the hand. They 
carry with them the coin, and when the 
action is properly executed, press it against 
the palm at the exact point necessary so 
that a slight contraction of the palm will 
hold it firmly in place. The movement 
is shown in the illustration. Afterward, 
the fingers of the hand are to be extended 
in a natural manner, leaving the coin in 
the palm. 

After this operation has been practiced 
until it is easily performed with either 
hand at rest, it should be again practiced 

[ ioo] 



Tricks with Coins 



with the hand moving toward the other. 
That other hand should lie open with the 
palm upward, but the fingers should close 
upon an imaginary coin as the first hand 




Fig. 4. 




Fig. 5. 

reaches it, and should afterward continue 
shut, apparently retaining the piece of 
money, while the hand actually containing 
the quarter moves away and drops loosely 
open, as if it held nothing at all. 

[101] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



The student should practice before a 
mirror, so that he may observe every detail 




Fig. 8. 

of the various movements in really passing 
a coin from one hand to the other. When 
[ 102] 



Tricks with Coins 



he has made sure as to the exact natural 
manner, he should again practice the pass 
by palming, and strive to make it conform 
in every particular apparently with the 
actual transfer from one hand to the other 

A second method of making the pass uses 
the thumb, which is bent over the coin 
thrust Upward against it by the fingers. 
The action is clearly shown in the series 
of cuts below: 

A reverse method of making the pass 
is by holding the coin on the palm of the 
extended hand, from which the fingers of 
the other hand seemingly pick it up, and 
then close as if holding it. The coin, 
however, is retained in its original position 
by contracting the palm, and the hand 
is turned over and dropped with the 
fingers still open. 

Another simple form of the pass is 
effected by holding the hand palm upward 
with the coin held between the tips of the 
thumb and second finger. The other hand 
approaches close until the thumb is under 

[103] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

the coin and the fingers bend over it. At 
this moment the coin is dropped into the 
palm, and held there, but the fingers 
of the other hand close as if upon the piece 
of money, and so move away. The illus- 
tration shows the execution of this pass. 




Fig. 9. 

The student must take care in connec- 
tion with the pass never to reveal the fact 
to the spectators that the coin is not really 
in the hand where it appears to be. If, 
after making the pass, he should open the 
closed hand, and show that the coin has 
vanished, he would practically inform the 

[ 104] 



Tricks with Coins 



company that he had palmed the money. 
Instead, he must always appear to find the 
coin in some other place before revealing 
the fact that the closed hand is empty. 
This detail is of great importance for suc- 
cessful performance, and it is never neg- 
lected by any professional conjurer. 



L105] 



THE CHANGE 



THE student should also practice the 
change, as it is termed. This is the 
substitution of one object for another with- 
out permitting the company to become 
aware of the fact. Thus, it enables the 
conjurer when doing a trick with a coin 
marked by the spectators to substitute a 
duplicate coin as may be required. Such 
a change is effected by holding the substi- 
tute piece palmed in one hand, while the 
marked coin is held in the fingers of the 
other hand. The two hands are then 
brought together, and the marked coin ap- 
parently falls into the palm of the other 
hand. In reality, however, it is palmed 
by the hand that already held it, and the 
palmed substitute in the other hand is 
shown in place of it. The change may be 
[106] 



Tricks with Coins 



made also in various other ways suggested 
by the various forms of the pass itself. 

When the student has attained dexterity 
with a quarter, he should continue his 
practice with both smaller and larger coins. 
He will find that skill of this sort with a 
dime and penny is very useful, as in the 
following effective trick. 



[ 107] 



THE JOINING OF THE COINS 

YOU borrow from the spectators a dime 
and a cent, which are marked, and 
two handkerchiefs. You hold a cent of 
your own palmed in the right hand. You 
next drape one of the handkerchiefs over 
this hand. Under the concealment of the 
handkerchief, you grasp the substitute cent 
between finger and thumb. With the 
fingers of the left hand, you pick up the 
marked cent and lay it in the center of 
the handkerchief as it lies spread out over 
the right palm. In doing so, as if with 
a movement to cover the marked cent, you 
secretly push a fold of the handkerchief 
under the substitute cent, which is held 
between thumb and finger of the right 
hand. By lifting the right hand, the 
handkerchief is now inverted over the 
[108] 



Tricks with Coins 



left hand. In this action the marked cent 
is allowed to slip back into the palm of 
the left hand, and at the same time the 
fold of the handkerchief is twisted about 
the substitute penny. The spectators re- 
gard the coin thus wrapped as the marked 
one. As a matter of fact, the substitute 
penny is actually only covered by the fold 
of an outer edge of the handkerchief. The 
handkerchief is now given to one of the 
company who is instructed to hold the 
coin tightly. 

You now secretly shift the marked cent 
in the left hand to the palm of the right 
hand. With the fingers of the right hand, 
you next pick up the marked dime from 
the table. The second handkerchief is 
laid over the open palm of the left hand. 
The fingers of the right hand now place 
the dime in the center of the handkerchief, 
and in the same instant the marked cent 
is let fall from the palm of the right hand 
beside the dime on the handkerchief. Both 
coins are hidden for the moment by the 

[ 109] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

right hand. The left hand closes on the 
coins and handkerchief and it turns over. 
With the right hand, press the two coins 
tightly together and twist them securely in 
the handkerchief, and then give them to a 
spectator to hold securely. On account 
of the smallness of the pieces, he will be 
unable to detect through the folds of the 
handkerchief the fact that there are two 
coins instead of one. You declare boldly 
that you will cause the two marked pieces 
to come together under one of the handker- 
chiefs. This has, in fact, already been 
accomplished, unknown to the company. 
You now extend the right hand to the 
handkerchief containing the substitute 
cent. By rubbing the handkerchief 
slightly, the fold is pushed back, so that 
the substitute cent is pulled out from its 
wrapping, apparently as if plucked 
through the fabric itself. You now openly 
place the substitute cent in the left hand, 
and while showing it declare that you will 
pass it through the folds of the second hand- 

[uo] 



Tricks with Coins 



kerchief to join the dime. You forthwith 
make the pass with the cent to the right 
hand, to which it seems to be transferred, 
although it actually remains palmed in the 
left hand to be dropped into your pocket 
at a convenient opportunity. The closed 
right hand is thrust forward and the 
fingers are spread wide apart as if in 
throwing. The hand is thus shown to be 
empty. The spectators may now unfold 
the second handkerchief, in which the two 
marked coins will be found together. 



[in] 



THE HANDKERCHIEF WRAPPER 

THIS matter of so folding the hand- 
kerchief that it appears to hold a 
coin securely is of importance in the per- 
formance of many tricks. Besides the 
manner described for the trick above, it 
would be well for the student to perfect 
himself in the method employed by 
Houdini. This is perhaps the best fashion 
of so wrapping a coin in a handkerchief 
that it appears to be held fast while in fact 
it is merely covered by an outer fold. 
The description may appear somewhat 
puzzling to one glancing over it hastily, 
but it is very carefully written, and it will 
present the required information clearly 
to anyone studying it. 

" Let the coin be held vertically by the 
fingers and thumb of the left hand, then 

[112] 



Tricks with Coins 



drop the handkerchief over. You now ex- 
claim that someone may believe the coin to 
have been changed, and you add there- 
fore that you will prove the contrary. 
You now take the coin through the hand- 
kerchief cover between the first and second 
fingers of the right hand, which is held 
with the palm upward. The fingers of 
the left hand let go of the coin, but remain 
under the handkerchief. You now turn 
over the right hand toward yourself, and 
then again take hold of the coin with the 
left hand, but now you seize it through a 
doubled fold of the handkerchief. You 
next let go with the right hand, and raise 
the edge of the handkerchief so that the 
coin is displayed. When the edge of the 
handkerchief is again dropped, it seems to 
the spectators that the coin is beneath it 
in the middle. Actually, it is on the out- 
side of the handkerchief, lying within the 
fold on the performer's side. The dis- 
tinctive features of the operation are shown 
in the two illustrations below." 

[113] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 




Fig. io. 




Fig. ii. 



[114] 



THE VANISHING QUARTERS 

IN preparation for this trick, you bor- 
row four quarters, which are marked, 
and a handkerchief. 

The handkerchief is spread over your 
left hand, and with your right hand you 
count the quarters in a stack on the center 
of the handkerchief. As you swing the 
right hand away, you swiftly set the left 
thumb on top of the four quarters. They 
are thus covered by a fold of the hand- 
kerchief — but only by a fold. You now 
grasp them through this fold between the 
fingers and thumb of the right hand, and 
promptly take away the left hand. To the 
spectators, it appears that the coins are 
safely wrapped in the handkerchief which 
covers them. You next ask one of the 
company to take hold of the handkerchief 
somewhat below your own hand and to 

[115] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

grasp it tightly. As he does so, you should 
direct him sharply in order to hold his 
attention on the movement of his own 
hands. You take this opportunity to palm 
the four quarters, which are easily pushed 
out of the fold into your hand. The 
handkerchief will retain its shape suf- 
ficiently to deceive the observers for the 
time being as to the disappearance of the 
money from it, especially if you command 
the one holding the handkerchief to re- 
main absolutely motionless. While his 
attention is thus concentrated, you may 
easily quietly place the palmed quarters in 
his pocket, or in the pocket of some other 
person or otherwise dispose of them. You 
then command the quarters to vanish from 
the handkerchief to be found in that par- 
ticular place, with their marks intact. 

If the student should find this trick too 
difficult with four quarters on account of 
the palming, he may perform it with a less 
number, even with a single coin of any 
preferred denomination. 

[116] 



THE INCREASING DIMES 



THE following feat is one that is al- 
ways effective when properly per- 
formed, although it requires almost no skill 
in conjuring; it depends rather on a device 
of preparation. You require three dimes 
having the same date. By means of a 
particle of wax applied to one surface of 
each, you fasten these on the under side 
of the table, close to the edge, and some- 
what less than a foot apart. This prepara- 
tion, of course, must be secretly made. 
You now state that you will show a simple 
method of making money. You exhibit 
the third dime, and call attention to the 
date. If the table has a cover, it should be 
turned back. You now place the dime 
close to the edge of the table and by press- 

[117] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

ing on it with the thumb push it forward 
and backward. This position of the hand 
naturally brings the fingers underneath 
the edge of the table. After a few seconds 
of briskly rubbing the dime to and fro, 
during which you declare that the work is 
coming along well, that it is almost done, 
etc., you draw the hand smartly away 
from the table, thus scraping the waxed 
dime into the palm along with the one 
from the top of the table pushed there by 
the thumb. You triumphantly exhibit the 
two, then drop the waxed dime into your 
pocket and repeat the trick. 



[118] 



MONEY MULTIPLIED 



IN preparation for this trick you palm 
in the right hand three quarters. You 
then borrow from the company twelve 
quarters, letting someone collect them for 
you. He counts these out on the table. 
You now ask him to hold three of the 
quarters in his right hand. You call on 
another person and deposit in his hand the 
other nine quarters from the table. But 
dropping these into his palm, you let fall 
also along with them the three coins you 
have held palmed, so that he actually 
closes his hand when you bid him on 
twelve quarters instead of nine. You next 
take into your left hand the three quarters 
held by the other person, and make a pass 
apparently transferring them to the right 

[119] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

hand, but actually retaining them in the 
left palm, from which they are dropped 
into your pocket as convenient. The spec- 
tators suppose that the three quarters are 
within the closed right hand. They are 
accordingly astonished when your hand is 
shown to be empty and the full twelve 
coins are discovered held by him who was 
thought to have only nine. 

It is obvious, that the number of coins 
used may be varied according to the per- 
former's preference. 



r t ?x>] 



THE DIME IN THE ORANGE 



BY way of preparation for this trick, 
you must hold palmed in each hand 
a dime with a smear of wax on one side. 
You should also have a tiny ball of wax 
stuck on the lowest button of the waist- 
coat. A few oranges, and a table knife 
are necessary. 

A dime is borrowed and marked, and a 
handkerchief. The handkerchief is spread 
out on a table, its sides parallel with the 
sides of the table. You now substitute a 
prepared dime, waxed side up, for the 
borrowed dime, and lay it in the center of 
the handkerchief. Standing behind the 
table, you fold over the dime one of the 
corners of the handkerchief on your side 

[121] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

so that it overlaps the dime by an inch. 
In doing this, you press on it, so that the 
dime shall stick fast. Afterward, you fold 
the other corners over the first. 

You next announce that you will cause 
the dime to pass from the handkerchief 
into one of the oranges. You invite in- 
spection of both the oranges and the knife. 

While the company is thus occupied, 
you secretly fasten the tiny wax ball from 
the button of your waistcoat to the marked 
dime, which still remains palmed in the 
right hand. When you take back the 
knife, hold it by the handle in the left 
hand, and press the blade on the right 
palm so that the dime will be stuck about 
the middle. Then lay the knife on the 
table, the dime beneath. 

You now let someone touch the handker- 
chief to make sure that the dime is still 
there. You take the handkerchief by the 
edges on your side of the table and flirt 
it open. You draw it through the left 
hand, and in doing so detach and palm 

[ 122 ] 



Tricks with Coins 



the dime, afterward pocketing it. The 
dime has vanished. 

You now pick up the knife, keeping the 
dime out of sight, and cut through the skin 
of an orange with the point. Finally you 
cut through the orange, thus detaching the 
dime, which seems to have come from 
within the orange. You wipe off the juice 
with a handkerchief, and in doing so re- 
move any trace of the wax. The mark re^ 
mains to show that this is the original dime. 

The manner of folding the handkerchief 
and of afterward picking it up are shown 
in the illustration. 




Fig. 12. 



[123] 



THE SHOWER OF MONEY 



THIS is a very old trick, but it is 
always effective if well done. It 
must not be attempted, however, until the 
art of palming has been thoroughly mas- 
tered. 

Ten pieces of money are held palmed 
in the left hand, two in the right hand. A 
hat is held inverted in the left hand with 
the palm and fingers inside. You announce 
that you can find money anywhere. You 
let one of the coins palmed in the right 
hand slide down to the finger tips, while 
at the same moment you seem to pluck it 
from some one's hair. You then throw this 
coin into the hat. You next let the other 
coin in the right hand slide to the tips of 
the fingers while appearing to catch it in 

[124] 



Tricks with Coins 



the air, or to draw it from any place you 
choose. You make the gesture of throwing 
it into the hat, but actually palm it. In- 
stead, you let one of the coins palmed in 
the left hand fall into the hat. 

You continue similarly until all ten coins 
have been dropped from the left hand into 
the hat, and conclude by throwing in the 
coin from the right hand. 



C125] 



HEAD OR TAIL 



BY way of concluding the tricks with 
coins, two arc added that require no 
skill whatever in sleight-of-hand. In the 
first, you declare your ability to tell in 
advance whether a spinning coin will fall 
head or tail upward. Anyone may spin the 
quarter, and in every case you foretell the 
result. 

To do this you must use a coin prepared 
by making a slight nick in one side of the 
edge. When the coin as it nears its fall 
spins on the uncut edge, there is no 
change, but when on the cut edge, the 
sound is quite different, and the coin falls 
more abruptly. A little experimenting will 
enable you to distinguish between the two 
with absolute certainty. But the difference 
is too slight to be perceived by anyone not 
on the lookout for it. 

[126] 



ODD OR EVEN 



THIS is a very old trick and one of 
utmost simplicity. It depends en- 
tirely on an obvious fact in arithmetic. 
Yet, somehow, the most intelligent ob- 
servers usually seem unable to grasp the 
principle involved, and are therefore vastly 
puzzled. 

You take a handful of coins, and ask 
one of the company to provide himself 
also with some, which he is to count 
privately, in order to know whether their 
number is odd or even. You direct one 
of the company to hold a hat, and request 
the person with the coins to place as many 
of them as he chooses in the hat, keeping 
the exact number secret. You now an- 
nounce that you will yourself drop coins 
into the hat with the result of reversing 
the first number, whether it was odd or 

[ 127] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

even. You therefore drop in some coins, 
and then ask as to the original number, 
whether odd or even. Immediately after 
the answer has been received, all the coins 
are emptied out on the table, and openly 
counted. In every case, no matter how 
many times the trick may be repeated, they 
will be found the reverse of the original 
deposit, that is to say, if the first coins 
formed an even number, the total will be an 
odd number; if the first coins formed an odd 
number, the total will be an even number. 

The explanation lies in the simple fact 
that any odd number added to any other 
odd number makes an even number; and 
any odd number added to an even number 
makes an odd number. In order, then, 
to reverse the number of coins first de- 
posited as to the quality of odd or even, 
it is only necessary that each time you 
should add an odd number of coins. The 
result of such an addition must invariably 
be to change an even number to an odd, or 
to change an odd number to an even. 

[128] 






THE HANDKERCHIEF 



THE handkerchief is often useful as 
an aid in performing tricks, by serv- 
ing as a diversion to take the attention of 
the company away from something else. 
Thus, it is easy to interest the spectators 
in a handkerchief that cannot be tied in a 
knot. It is seemingly knotted in the usual 
fashion, with the knot drawn tight, but a 
slight pull unties it instantly. This pe- 
culiar effect is secured by secretly slipping 
the thumb of the left hand within the loop 
of the strand that continues into that hand. 
A study of the illustration shows the 
method clearly, with the thumb inserted 
at the point indicated by the letter a. 

Another diversion may be created by 
testing a borrowed handkerchief in the 

[ 129] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



flame of a candle, to learn whether or 
not it will burn — to the great dismay of the 
owner. This is what may be termed an 
honest trick. The handkerchief, being 
held by two corners, is drawn upward at 




Fig. 13. 

a slant across the flame of the candle. It 
is only necessary to keep the motion con- 
stant. An instant of pause will scorch the 
handkerchief. But it is astonishing how 
slowly the fabric may be drawn across the 
flame without the least injury. An addi- 
tional precaution must be observed in 
[ 130] 



. 



The Handkerchief 



borrowing the handkerchief, by making 
sure that it carries no trace of perfume. 
The inflammable spirits used in making 
extracts might instantly set the cloth 
ablaze. 

Another knot-tying trick, of a more 
elaborate character than the first, is per- 
formed as follows: 

A silk handkerchief is twisted, and then 
while you hold it by the middle part with 
both hands, one of the spectators at your 
request ties the ends together. You then 
declare that the knots are not sufficiently 
tight, and you yourself pull them to render 
them seemingly more secure. By leaving 
sufficient length to the free ends after 
tying the first knot, a second and third 
knot may be added, which you treat simi- 
larly. You next drape the middle part of 
the handkerchief over the knots, and give 
it to be held by a spectator. You breathe 
on it, and bid him shake it out, when it 
will be found that the knots have vanished. 

The secret lies in your manner of pulling 

[131] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

at the knot. Actually, you are careful to 
lay hold on only one end of the handker- 
chief, placing one hand above the knot and 
the other below. You thus pull that part 
of the handkerchief into a straight line, 
around which the other end is twisted. 
The knot becomes in effect a slip-knot. 
The pulls that follow on the other knots 
must also be on this same end of the hand- 
kerchief. Since the untwisting process 
would leave the straight end projecting 
further beyond the knots, you should cor- 
rect this by withdrawing it a little after 
each pull. While laying the middle of the 
handkerchief over the knots, the straight 
end is pulled clear. 

A number of handkerchiefs may be used 
similarly by tying them together. 

The student must guard against being 
caught by the one form of knot that can- 
not be tampered with thus easily. This is 
the familiar one where the two ends are 
held parallel and are bent together into a 
knot. One such knot may be utilized in 

[ 132] 



The Handkerchief 



performing the trick by asking one of the 
spectators to untie it by way of illus- 
trating the time necessary for such a task 
when performed by any one but the magi- 
cian himself. 



[133] 



TRICKS WITH WATCHES 



HERE is another trick that is purely 
a matter of arithmetic, but the 
manner of it is not easily guessed by the 
average person. 

Any individual in the company is asked 
to think of any hour of the twelve, ac- 
cording to his choice. You announce that 
without asking any question you will be 
able to divine the particular hour. You 
now tap with a pencil, or any other con- 
venient object, on the watch dial, along 
the circles of hours. But before beginning 
the taps you direct the chooser of the hour 
to count the number of taps, and giving 
to the first tap the number following that 
of the hour selected, and giving to the 
second tap the next number, and so on. 

[134] 



Tricks with Watches 



If ten were the hour thought of, for ex- 
ample, he should count the first tap as 
eleven, the next as twelve, etc. On reach- 
ing the number twenty by thus mentally 
counting the taps, he is to cry "Halt!" 
At this point, your pencil will be resting 
on the hour he chose. 

The secret lies in the eighth tap. The 
first seven may fall anywhere, for they are 
of no importance. The eighth tap, how- 
ever, must be on the figure twelve, and 
from this point you must tap the hours in 
order backward — eleven, ten, nine, etc. 
By this simple process, it will come to 
pass invariably that your pencil taps the 
chosen hour when you are told to halt. 

Another trick with a watch is ap- 
parently a remarkable feat of jugglery, but 
it is actually an optical delusion. The 
deception, when skilfully carried out with 
a highly prized borrowed watch, may be 
made very amusing by reason of the 
owner's alarm for the safety of his pos- 
session. 

[135] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

You regard the watch very closely, and 
with an expression of increasing astonish- 
ment. As you press it with your fingers, 
you remark that it is most extraordinary, 
but it seems to be really very soft. You 
now hold the watch with its face toward 




Fig. 14. 

you in both hands. The thumb of each 
hand rests on the face and two fingers of 
each hand on the back. You now bend 
the hands outward, and at the same mo- 
ment you shift the tips of the fingers so 
that they are closer together, and then 
quickly move them again to their first 
position. This same movement of the 
fingers and the hands is continued for any 

[136] 



Tricks with Watches 



desired period. The effect of it is a 
visual deception that has its origin in the 
play of light and shadow over the case 
from the motion of the fingers. Indeed, 
it may appear to the spectators that the 
case is actually bent almost double. 

The manner of holding the hands and 
fingers is shown in the illustration. 



[137 3 



TRICKS WITH DOMINOES 



AN excellent trick, which depends on 
arrangement and not on sleight-of- 
hand, is done with dominoes. 

You lay twenty dominoes in a row face 
downward on the table. You then an- 
nounce that any number of the dominoes 
may be removed from the right end to 
the left end during your absence from the 
room, and that on your return you will 
announce the number thus moved by your 
clairvoyant power. You add a request 
that not more than twelve dominoes be 
thus shifted, since your faculty is not yet 
wholly developed. 

On your return, after the change has 
been made, you state that you will reveal 
the number shifted by turning up a 

[138] 



Tricks with Dominoes 



domino with that total of points, and this 
you do. 

The manner of doing this trick is in the 
original arrangement of the dominoes. 
You take care that the points of the first 
domino on the left shall total twelve; the 
points of the second, eleven; the points of 
the third, ten, etc., in order, to the thir- 
teenth, which must be the double-blank. 
The remaining seven of the row may be 
of any denomination. 

In concluding the trick, you count the 
dominoes from the right end toward the 
left up to the eighth. The points of this 
will always total the number of dominoes 
moved. You must turn up the domino in 
order to know this number, but you do not 
allow the spectators to realize the fact. 

After thus telling the number changed, 
by counting from the one turned up, you 
may easily further mystify the company by 
giving the value of other dominoes before 
turning them up also. Here, however, a 
caution is necessary: You only know each 

[139] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

domino by its total of points, which is not 
the way they are named. You must, there- 
fore, select for this part of the trick those 
dominoes in which the total is formed by 
a certain combination. Such dominoes are 
a " one," which is necessarily " blank 
one"; a " double blank," and a " double 
six." These may be named effectively. 

An even more puzzling and yet simpler 
trick is the following: 

You direct the company to arrange all 
the dominoes in a row, matched according 
to the ordinary rules, and to do this while 
you are absent from the room. The 
dominoes are to be placed face downward. 
On your return after the arrangement has 
been made, you announce the end numbers 
of the row. When the two dominoes are 
turned over, it will be seen that you are 
right, invariably. 

You accomplish this by secretly taking 
away with you one domino. A glance at 
this is all the further preparation you re- 
quire before reentering the room, since 

[ 140] 



Tricks with Dominoes 



the two ends of this single domino give 
exactly the two ends of the row. 

But you must take care not to carry 
off a double. A brief study should make 
clear the reason for this, as well as the 
whole principle of the trick. 



[141] 



TRICKS WITH DICE 



THE easiest bit of jugglery with the 
dice is performed by holding two 
between the thumb and forefinger. The 
exposed faces of these, whether on top 
or below, may be shifted by a very slight 
twisting movement between thumb and 
finger. With a little practice, the chang 
may be made to appear very puzzling to 
spectators not in the secret. But this use 
of the dice should serve only for a very 
brief diversion. 

An excellent arithmetical trick with dice 
is worked out as follows: 

Giving one of the spectators the two 
dice, you bid him throw them, without 
permitting you to observe the result, then 
to choose one of the exposed numbers, to 

[ 142] 



Tricks with Dice 



multiply it by two, to add five to the 
product, to multiply this sum by five 
and, finally, to add the number shown 
by the other die. He is now to inform 
you of the sum reached by this mathemati- 
cal progress. 

You, in your turn, now subtract twenty- 
five from the amount given by him. The 
subtraction will give a remainder of two 
figures. Each one of these two figures 
equals the number of one of the dice. 

The student may entertain himself 
profitably with the dice for once by puz- 
zling out the exact reason for this result. 



[ 143 ] 



THE CUT STRING 



A CORD about a yard in length is 
offered for examination. You then 
take it so that the ends are upward between 
the thumb and first and second fingers 
of the left hand and the thumb and first 
finger of the right hand. The remainder 
of the cord hangs downward. You next 
make the right hand approach the left, 
and bring that part of the string in the 
right hand toward yourself, drawing it 
between the first and second fingers of the 
left hand, so that it passes the other end 
of the cord at a right angle. You thus 
draw the string until half its length is 
beyond the left hand. While doing so, 
you thrust the third finger of the left hand 
between the two portions of the string. 

[ H4-3 



The Cut String 



The result is made clear by examination 
of the illustration. 

Without letting go the end hitherto held, 
the thumb and first finger of the right 




Fig. 15. 

hand now grasp the cord at the point indi- 
cated by b in the illustration above. At 
this moment also, the third finger of the 
left hand draws back the part marked a 
in the illustration, into the palm of the 
hand. This operation results in arranging 
the cord as shown in the next illustration. 
The same position is shown again in the 
following cut, in which the arrangement 

[145] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

of the cord behind the thumbs is displayed. 

A little study will make clear the fact 

that the portion of cord now extending 




Fig. i 6. 



horizontally between the hands is actually 
merely the immediate continuation of the 




Fig. 17. 

end which the left hand holds, although it 
appears to the spectators to be the middle 
part of the cord. 

[146! 



The Cut String 



You now permit one of the company to 
cut this seeming middle portion. Next, 
you take the cord wholly in the right 
hand, but you are at pains to hide the 
place where the pieces cross between the 
thumb and finger. The present position 
is shown in the illustration below, where 
the thumb is traced in outline in order to 
display the arrangement of the cord be- 
yond it. 




You now give one of the two ends 
(whichever you prefer) to one of the 
spectators to hold. 

You place your open left hand close to 
that end, and, with the other hand, you 
w r ind the cord rapidly around the left hand. 
In doing this you press the short piece of 

[147] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

cord out of the way by means of the 
thumb; tucking it between the second and 
third fingers as soon as it comes clear. 
Then, finally, having completed the wind- 
ing of the cord about the left hand and 
the secretion of the short piece between 
the fingers, you unwind the cord with 
great deliberation, and show it whole as 
at first. 



[148] 



IV 
STAGE ILLUSIONS 



STAGE ILLUSIONS 



IN the instructions already given, great 
care has been exercised to include es- 
sential principles that shall enable the 
student to attain proficiency in conjuring 
entertainment. The list of specific tricks 
has been chosen in such a manner as to 
make it comprise all that he needs to prac- 
tice. Moreover, he will find that the 
variety of tricks may be indefinitely ex- 
tended by combinations that will readily 
become obvious to him. Thus, in the 
material presented he will find ample 
opportunity for the exercise of his skill. 
In addition, the student should be at 
pains to cultivate an ability to amuse his 
audience, as well as to deceive them. He 
should, indeed, make the amusing of the 

[151] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

party a very powerful factor for the de- 
ception. He should seek to acquire a 
glib patter artfully calculated to provoke 
the laughter of his hearers. Every suc- 
cessful stage performer is an adept not 
only in sleight-of-hand, but also in creating 
merriment among the spectators of his 
feats. The amateur, similarly, must con- 
trive to increase interest in his performance 
by constant recourse to amusing sallies. 
Such mirth-exciting remarks are valuable 
for two distinct reasons: they increase the 
pleasure of the spectators, and they dis- 
tract attention from what must be con- 
cealed. The shrewdest observer relaxes 
his vigilance to indulge in a hearty laugh. 
The performer is able often by a quip to 
divert attention from the difficult bit of 
juggling. 

While the instructions hitherto given are 
sufficient for the most ambitious amateur 
entertainer, it is probable that the student 
may be curious concerning more preten- 
tious effects attained by professional con- 

[152] 



Stage Illusions 



jurers. Or it may be that he himself may 
develop sufficient dexterity in the art of 
prestidigitation to desire a broader field 
of operation. 

As a matter of fact, the professional per- 
former depends, first, upon an extraordi- 
nary skill in sleight-of-hand, and, secondly, 
a plentiful supply of apparatus. We shall 
now review the most important of such 
appliances, those that are the main reliance 
of the professional performer. 

It is not necessary to describe in detail 
all the various contrivances that are manu- 
factured to serve as aids to the magician 
on the stage. Such appliances are com- 
mercially exploited by many different 
firms, and the student may readily purchase 
anything in the way of apparatus that he 
desires. Moreover, these mechanical de- 
vices are sold with complete instructions 
for the guidance of anyone unfamiliar with, 
the method of using them. 

There are almost innumerable con- 
trivances to be employed in card tricks. 

[153] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

One of the most effective is the magic 
sword. A spectator draws a card, which 
is forced on him, replaces it and shuffles 




Fig. 19. 

the pack. He is then directed to throw the 
whole pack at the performer, who stands 
ready with his sword. This weapon has 
a short bit of the tip detachable and 

[154] 



Stage Illusions 



seemingly vanish and return at the will 
of the performer. One such is shown in 
the illustration. This is very simple, since 
it depends solely on the loose slab marked 
a, indistinguishable from the bottom of the 




Fig. 21. 

box. The box may be used with either side 
up. When a card is placed within, the 
turning over of the box hides the card 
under the loose slab, and it has apparently 
vanished. It reappears by reversing the 
position of the box. 

Cards that change are made in a number 
of different ways. The illustration shows 

[157] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

the employment of a movable slip, a, 
which is operated by sliding on a pin that 
traverses a narrow slot. 

The face of the king has the suit signs 
cut away, to be replaced by those at the 
back, changing from one to the other by 
use of the slide. 



,m 


v^O^^fTpSj 


^'•fPIiR 


■K&&& 


Is&MT 


LzJMgik — 1 



P 


*j 



m 



Fig. 22. 

Special cards also arc printed with vari- 
ous combinations of pips and suits, so that 
when partially exposed they have one 
value, and when the other end is shown 
another value. 

Likewise, the ingenuity of the magicians 
has displayed itself in a long list of re- 
ceptacles for coins that deceive the ob- 
server. One such has a piece of zinc under 

[158] 



Stage Illusions 



a false bottom, so that after a coin placed 
in the box has been let fall into the hand, 
where it is palmed, the lid may be shut 
and the box, on being shaken, gives evi- 
dence that the coin is still within, because 
the piece of zinc is heard to rattle. 

Another box to cause the vanishing of a 




Fig. 23. 

coin is of tin and has an inner tube with 
a slit at the end soldered to the bottom. 
This inner tube may be pulled down a 
little to allow the coin to fall out, after 
which it is pushed back into place. Such 
boxes usually have also a loose piece of 
zinc secreted in the top, for rattling. But 
a slight adjustment of a wire attachment 
prevents the zinc from rattling when the 
box is shown empty. 

[159] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

A rather elaborate form of coin box is 
the magic casket shown in the illustration. 
The mechanical construction of this is 
such that each time the lid is closed one 
of the coins disappears into a hidden com- 
partment at the bottom. The effective- 




Fig. 24. 

ness of the casket is enhanced by the fact 
that it may be held in the hand of a spec- 
tator, who is allowed to operate the lid and 
thus cause the disappearance of the various 
coins. Of course, in performing with the 
cabinet, marked coins should be palmed, 
and substitutes placed in the box. 

Salvers also are specially designed in 

[160] 



Stage Illusions 



connection with coin tricks. The one 
shown in the illustration has a space be- 
tween front and back in which a number 
of coins may lie. The false bottom rests 
on a spring, and may be pressed down- 
ward with the finger tips sufficiently to 
permit a coin to slip under the rim into 
the hidden compartment, thus vanishing 
completely. 



Fig. 25. 

Many effective tricks with watches de- 
pend entirely on apparatus. One of the 
simplest is a box in which a watch may 
be placed, and the box afterward locked 
and given to the owner of the watch to 

[161] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

hold. Such a box has a movable side, 
which turns on a pivot Pressure on the 
bottom of the box lifts the catch, and 
simultaneous pressure against the movable 
section causes an opening sufficient to 




Fig. 26. 

permit the sliding out of the watch. The 
illustration makes the method of con- 
struction clear. 

An amusing illusion in connection with 
watches is that of making any timepiece 
a repeater. This is accomplished by the 
employment of a small brass contrivance 

[162] 



Stage Illusions 



equipped with a tiny bell which is rung 
by a very slight pressure. The apparatus 
is carried in the pocket of a tightly fitting 
waistcoat. A slight expansion of the chest 
causes the bell to ring. Any watch may be 
held up before the spectators and made 
apparently to strike the hour by means of 
this device. The mechanism is shown in 
the illustration. The brass cylinder gives 
off its sound freely by reason of the per- 
forations. 




Fig. 27. 

It should be added that those tricks in 
which a watch is seemingly smashed and 
afterward restored, depend entirely on the 
use of boxes from which the watch may 
be secretly removed while a substitute 

[163] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



jumble of watch-mechanism takes its 
place, afterward to disappear in its turn, 
when the watch itself is restored whole. 

Many tricks with rings may be per- 
formed with the same apparatus that is 
used for coins. In addition, many excel- 
lent effects may be secured by using a 
substitute ring that in itself has the nature 
of apparatus, though of the simplest. For 
this purpose, an ordinary wedding ring is 
best. The similarity in appearance of 
wedding rings is such that the substitute 
will pass readily for one borrowed. The 
substitute should be fastened to the end 
of an elastic cord, which has its other end 
attached inside the coat sleeve. Thus, this 
substitute may be held in the fingers in 
place of the borrowed ring, which may be 
deposited secretly wherever desired. The 
substitute ring will vanish up the sleeve 
at any moment by simply releasing it from 
the fingers. For example, while holding 
the substitute in one hand, prominently dis- 
played, it is easy to slide a palmed bor- 

[164] 



Stage Illusions 



rowed ring over the end of a small rod, 
and then, holding the hand still closed on 
the middle of the rod, apparently to pass 
the ring from the fingers of the other hand 
upon the rod while it is held at the two 
ends by spectators. The substitute ring, 
without the elastic, may be wrapped in a 
handkerchief, which is laid over the rod 
while it is held. The substitute ring, which 
was only in a fold of the handkerchief 
according to the method previously given, 
is palmed, and when the handkerchief is 
lifted the borrowed ring is found on the 
stick. 

A useful piece of apparatus that may be 
used in a great variety of tricks is a re- 
versible tin canister. This appears to have 
only one opening, but has an inner tube 
of two compartments. This tube may be 
pushed to and fro, giving the appearance 
of the top part of a canister to that end 
toward which it is pushed. This device 
may be used conveniently in substituting 
one article for another. Thus, a borrowed 

[165] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

handkerchief may be placed in the 
canister; the canister is then secretly re- 
versed so that the bottom now appears as 
the top. A substitute handkerchief has 
already been placed in this compartment. 
This may be torn up, or burned. Again 
reversing the canister, the borrowed hand- 
kerchief is found uninjured. The in- 




Fig. 28. 

genuity of the performer can adapt this 
piece of apparatus to countless illusions. 
The manner of its construction is shown 
in the illustration. 

The two compartments are indicated by 
a and q. 

[166] 



Stage Illusions 



Usually, the professional magician is 
able to dispose of a handkerchief secretly 
without the use of apparatus. But some- 
times it is convenient to use a device that 
fits into the palm as a receptacle. This is 
of tin, the size and shape of a boot heel, 
open toward the fingers, so that the hand- 
kerchief can be stuffed into it. A spring 




Fig. 29. 

holds this contrivance by clipping on the 
fleshy part of the hand. The illustration 
shows the device in position. 

A trick box is a necessary convenience 
for illusions with a ball. With this aid, 
almost no sleight-of-hand is necessary for 
many tricks in which a ball seems mys- 
teriously to vanish and to return at the 

[167] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

command of the performer. Such a box 
may be from three to six inches in height, 
and is made up of three portions, the re- 
ceptacle proper, the imitation of the ball, 
and the lid. The central portion may be 
left upon the lower when the lid is re- 
moved, showing the receptacle empty. For 
this central portion is hollow and fits into 




Fig. 30. 

the lid as if a part of it. Or this central 
portion may be left over the receptacle 
when the lid is raised, and it thus repre- 
sents the ball itself in the receptacle. The 
ball itself is palmed as necessary. The 
chief reliance is on the apparatus. The 
[168] 



Stage Illusions 



lower, central and upper parts are indi- 
cated in the illustration by the letters a, 
b, c. 

A second form of ball-box has only two 
parts, the central portion being omitted. 
Such boxes are used in pairs. The top is 
sufficiently large to conceal the ball, which 
fits so snugly that it will remain fast in the 
top when jerked upward, but it may be 
dislodged by a little shake, falling back 
into the lower part. In doing the trick, 
a ball is concealed in the top of one of the 
boxes. This box is shown seemingly 
empty. A ball is placed in the other box, 
and the lid is put on. By a jerk of the 
hand, the ball is fixed in the top. A shake 
dislodges the other ball. On taking off the 
two lids, it appears that the ball has passed 
from one box to the other. This box is 
shown in the illustration. An ^outline of 
the ball hidden within the lid is shown in 
the section marked b. 

An ingenious Japanese trick is that of 
the obedient ball. A large wooden ball 

[169] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

has a hole through it so that it slides freely 
on a cord. But the operator is able to 
cause it to stop instantly at his word of 
command anywhere along the length of the 





Fig. 31. 

cord. The method depends on having the 
hole through the ball run in a curve. 
When the cord is slack, the ball slides 
freely. When the cord is tightened, it 
binds on the hidden curve within the 
wood, and the movement of the ball is 
instantly arrested. 

[ 170] 



Stage Illusions 



A variation of this trick is to have a 
large straight hole through the ball, but 
with such a taper that it will hold a hol- 
low plug. This plug has its hole curved. 
The plug is secretly threaded on the cord, 
and the ball receives it. The advantage 
of this arrangement is that it permits free 
examination of the ball by the company. 
The disadvantage is that it requires dex- 
terity to adjust the plug and ball in posi- 
tion. The original form for the trick 
is shown in the larger figure in the illus- 
tration, with the curved hole indicated by 
the letters, a, b, c. The plug is shown 
alongside, marked a. 

A special table is exceedingly useful to 
the magician, provided with a secret shelf 
on the side away from the spectators. An 
assistant can keep this in order, quietly re- 
moving objects or placing them as re- 
quired. The accompanying illustration 
shows such a construction in connection 
with the old trick of the cannon ball in 
the hat. This illusion requires a large 

[171] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

wooden ball painted black, with a finger 
hole. The ball is slipped into the hat 
after it has been shown empty, to be dis- 




Fig. 32. 

covered as the hat is about to be returned. 
The position of the hand in holding the 
hat to display its interior is shown in the 
illustration. 

[ 172] 



Stage Illusions 




Fig. 34 



[173] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

The manner of secretly slipping the ball 
into the hat from the shelf is next shown. 

All of those tricks by which bulky ob- 
jects mysteriously appear from nowhere 
depend on apparatus. One of the most 
startling is the production of a full-sized 




Fig. 35. 

bird cage from an empty hat. Such de- 
vices vary in details according to the in- 
genuity of different producers. A fold- 
ing cage, which when closed contains a 
canary, is shown in the three illustrations 
herewith. 

The final effect is seen in the first pic- 
ture. It appears folded in the third cut. 

[174] 



Stage Illusions 



Simply lifting it by the handle in the top 
causes it to take its expanded position. 
The process is shown in the middle picture. 




Fig. 36. 




Fig. 37. 

An ingenious French device is a cover of 
thin brass, something less than a foot high, 
which contains a scoop fitting snugly 
against the side of the interior. The scoop 

[175] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

is controlled by pressing a button on the 
outside of the cover. The button is marked 
a in the illustration. Such a cover may 
be placed over any object, for example 
an orange, and by pressing the button the 
scoop will pick up the object and hold it 




Fig. 38. 

securely out of sight. Such a cover should 
be used in substitution for a similar one 
without a scoop, which may be passed 
around for examination. 

The production of bowls of water with 
fish swimming in them, apparently out of 
empty space, is another feat done by means 

[176] 



Stage Illusions 



of apparatus, although this is of a very 
simple sort. A shallow saucer-shaped 
bowl, about half a foot in diameter and 
not more than two inches in depth, is used. 
After it has been filled, it is fitted with 
an india-rubber cover, and is concealed 
in a pocket. Three or even more such 
bowls may be hidden on the person. 
Covering the arm with a shawl masks the 
performer's movement sufficiently for draw- 
ing out a bowl and removing the cover. 

The bottle from which variously colored 
liquids are poured, though seemingly of 
glass, is really of tin painted. It contains 
a number of compartments, each leading 
to a tube in the neck. The flow is con- 
trolled by tiny holes through the bottle 
into the different compartments. The 
fingers close over these holes as on the notes 
of a flute. By raising the finger from a 
particular hole the air pressure causes a 
flow of the liquid from the connecting com- 
partment. The bottle is shown on the next 
page. 

Ti77] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

A variation of the trick bottle contains 
both wine and small reels of ribbon. 
Either liquids or different-colored ribbons 
may be produced from the bottle at will. 




Fig. 39. 

The construction is shown in the illustra- 
tion. 

Often, the professional performer makes 
use of special devices in connection with 
his table. A large variety of traps is fitted 
to such tables. An example is the wrist 
trap, which forms part of the table's sur- 
face. The illustration shows at the left 
a view of the under side, and the opera- 
tion is made clear in the right half of the 
picture, where the trap, a, is seen dropped, 

[178] 



Stage Illusions 



by reason of a slight pressure of the wrist 
on the plate marked c. 




Fig. 40. 




Fig. 41. 

Such a trap may be of any desired size. 
One large enough to permit the easy 

[179] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 



disposal of a rabbit, or the like, is shown 
in a view of its under surface by the next 
illustration. This trap has double doors, 
which are forced open downward by pres- 
sure, and close automatically by their own 
springs. 




Fig. 42. 

An ingenious variation is one which has 
two brass cylinders attached to the under 
surface of the table, in such a manner that 
either may be brought under a trap in the 
surface. They are fitted with a mechanism 
so that they may either receive an object 
from the surface of the table or place it 

[180] 



Stage Illusions 



there, at the will of the performer. The 
method is shown in the first illustration by 
the cylinders c and d, which are movable 
on the tracks h h and g g. Either c or d 




Fig. 43. 

may be brought under the trap b b. By 
means of this arrangement an article placed 
on the table mysteriously vanishes and 
another comes in its place. 

Details of the construction are shown 
elaborately in the second illustration. 

A stage trick that has always been 
popular is that where a woman is placed 
in a large basket and then apparently 
stabbed by a sword in the hand of the 
magician, thrust repeatedly into the basket 
and drawn forth dripping with blood. 

[181] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

Then the basket is opened and shown to 
be empty, and the woman appears else- 
where perfectly safe. 

In doing this trick, a basket is used 
with a false bottom, which remains flat 
when the basket is turned on its edge to be 




7v 

Fig. 44. 

shown empty by the performer as in the 
illustration. The woman lies on this bot- 
tom, and is covered from view by a 
substitute bottom, which was at first against 
the side of the basket, but falls into the 
required position when the basket is tilted 
over. The construction is shown in the 
accompanying illustration. 

Two women are used, of similar appear- 
ance. The one to be placed in the basket 

[182] 



Stage Illusions 



is blindfolded on the stage, while the 
other remains in the wings. After being 
blindfolded, this woman runs off the stage 
in apparent fear of the ordeal. The 
magician follows, but brings back the 
other woman blindfolded. With the face 
thus concealed, the audience does not no- 
tice the substitution, and it will recognize 




Fig. 45. 

the first woman when she reappears un- 
injured after the opening of the basket. 

The woman in the basket avoids injury 
from the sword by lying flat on the bottom, 
while the performer thrusts his blade in an 
upward direction so as to clear her body. 

[183] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

The blood on the sword may be from 
a sponge saturated with red liquid, ap- 
plied by the woman in the basket, or it 
may come from the sword itself, made with 
a concealed receptacle for such a liquid 
connected with the blade, the flow con- 
trolled by the finger pressure of the per- 
former. 

The trick is done also with only a single 
woman or boy, in which case the victim 
escapes through a trap at the back of the 
stage. The arrangement is concealed from 
the audience by the use of mirrors, so that 
the space beneath the basket is apparently 
fully shown, but in reality is half hidden. 
This manner is really more effective, be- 
cause the woman is out of the basket be- 
fore the magician's attack with the sword. 
He is therefore free to thrust with great 
violence, while the woman screams in seem- 
ing anguish. 

Wonderful magical effects have been 
secured by the use of mirrors cunningly 
arranged to deceive the eye. Thus, a three- 

[184] 



Stage Illusions 



legged table free from any cloth is set in 
a curtained recess some ten feet square, 
with the open side toward the spectators. 
A human head rests on this table. The 
head is alive and talks. Yet, there is no 
body seemingly, for the space under the 
table shows clear. 

The deception depends on an arrange- 
ment of mirrors. The floor also is covered 
with cloth like that on the walls of the 
recess. Mirrors running to the floor are 
set in the space between the middle leg 
and that on either side. The principle 
of optics is that the angle of reflection is 
equal to the angle of incidence. In the 
left part of the illustration this is shown 
by the dotted lines touching the mirror 
b c. An object d is seen reflected in the 
mirror by a person a. In the right part 
of the illustration, the two mirrors be- 
tween the legs are shown by a b and c b. 
The opening between the legs a c is toward 
the audience. The spectators see in these 
two mirrors reflections of the side walls 

[1851 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

of the recess, but they believe that they 
see the back walls of the recess behind the 
legs of the table. By this means, a secret 
compartment really exists back of the table, 
hidden from view by the mirrors, and this 
space actually contains the body to which 
the head seen on the table belongs. 




Fig. 46. 

A striking achievement of the magician 
is the apparent overcoming of the law of 
gravity, so that a woman rests in the air 
in a horizontal position, supported only 
by one elbow on the top of a rod. This 
is accomplished by the use of a metal 
framework worn beneath the dress. The 
structure is such that the woman is able 
to move about, but when placed in the 

[186] 



Stage Illusions 



required posture is held rigidly by an 
automatic locking of certain joints in the 
framework. Similarly, the elbow piece of 




A 




Fig. 47. 



the framework is caught and held im- 
movable by the top socket of the support- 
ing rod. By elaborations of the con- 
trivance the woman is able to change from 

[187] 



Tricks and Magic Made Easy 

one position to another in defiance of the 
law of gravity, seemingly directed solely 
by the will of the performer. The nature 
of such a framework is sufficiently indi- 
cated in the accompanying illustration. 

It should be noted that both this illu- 
sion of aerial suspension and the basket 
trick described above were ancient in- 
ventions of the Hindu fakirs, by whom the 
secrets of these most effective tricks 
were jealously guarded through many cen- 
turies, so that they were looked on with 
awe by the superstitious natives of India 
as the creations of genuine magic. It was 
only in modern times that professional 
magicians of Europe discovered the long- 
hidden methods employed in these illu- 
sions, and adapted them to performance on 
the stage. 



[188] 




rPHERE is no royal road to learning. 

IT is an old saying, and a true one, in a sense: 
for prince and peasant must alike travel 
the path. 

YET, there are many paths, and great differ- 
ences among them, as they lead to the 
temple of knowledge. In some, the going is easy : 
in some, hard. In some, the journeying is 
pleasant and profitable: in some, toilsome — a 
weary scramble over many stumbling blocks. 

THE builder of the road is the teacher. It 
is his task to smooth the way, and to 
make it straight: or to leave it all cluttered, 
a twisted, haphazard course, that runs roughly 
and reaches nowhere. 

IN the "Made Easy" Series, it has been the 
publisher's purpose to provide for the 
student the best possible road to learning — a 
road truly royal in its simplicity, its worth: 
a road wide and direct, and free from foolish, 
needless litter. 



tf 



THE various writers of the books in the 
series have been chosen for their special 
fitness. Such fitness includes, in the first 
place, mastery of the particular subject: in 
the second place, ability to interpret knowl- 
edge to others. 

RIGHT teaching makes easy learning. Few 
subjects are really hard to learn, when 
properly set before the pupil. These volumes 
are the product of a painstaking care to simplify 
every detail of instruction, yet to make it com- 
plete. The result for the student is, indeed. 
a learning made easy, yet none the less exact, 
thorough, wholly adequate for his needs. 

The volumes now ready, or in the course of 
preparation — price $1.00 each — are: 

Arithmetic Made Easy Drawing Made Easy 

Spelling Made Easy Dressmaking Made Easy 

Penmanship Made Easy Dancing Made Easy 

Grammar Made Easy Etiquette Made Easy 

Keeping Young Made Shorthand Made Easy 

Easy Bookkeeping Made Easy 

Love Letters Made Easy Tricks and Magic Made 
Entertaining Made Easy Easy 

Mental Healing Made Easy 

Further titles will be added as opportunity 
presents itself to secure the proper type of 
manuscript. 



\*0 "30 



